#1: Gianluigi Buffon - €12.9m
The Juventus goalkeeper is to this day the most expensive goalkeeper in the world, having moved to Turin in 2001 from Parma.
#2: Blaise Matuidi - €12.9m
French midfielder Matuidi has just signed a new contract with Paris Saint Germain after his old deal was set to expire this summer.
#3: Philip Lahm - €13m
Lahm captained Bayern to a treble last season and will also be looking to lead Germany to World Cup glory in Brazil this summer.
#4: Mario Gotze - €13.9m
Gotze confessed he was still living with his parents at the time he made the move to Munich, so he must have saved a fortune in earnings even before moving to the amount he's on now.
#5: Luis Suarez - €14.2m
 After much uncertainty about his future last summer, it appears the Uruguayan will be staying put at Anfield for a long while to come.
#6: Bastian Schweinsteiger - €14.5m
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#7: Gareth Bale - €14.5m
The Welshman is sure to progress up this list if he keeps improving at Real Madrid, already hitting 14 goals and 15 assists in his debut season.
#8: David Silva - €15.5m
Manchester City's little Spanish maestro showed his class this weekend with a curling effort against Hull City, adding that extra bit of creativity to the City attack. The Manchester moneybags pay him well for his service, earning euro15.5m a year after his arrival from Valencia.
#9: Yaya Touré - €16m
His 13 league goals this year make him a great attacking threat for title chasing City, who has shown just what kind of player he is since making the move from Barcelona.
#10: Fernando Torres - €16.2m
His earnings of euro16.2m a year may come as a shock too, but at the time he signed for the Blues, Torres was one of the most formidable strikers in Europe.
#11: Franck Ribery - €16.5m
Franck Ribery was voted the third best player in the world last year behind the inevitable duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but while his abilities on the pitch draw some comparisons, his earnings don't come close. The Frenchman is a current Champions League holder with a Bayern side who swept aside all before them last year and are currently on a 50-game unbeaten run.
#12: Eden Hazard - €16.8m
He is only set to improve and as he becomes more of a deciding factor in domestic and European games in coming seasons, his pay packet is sure to rise too. Hazard is a leading threat for World Cup dark horses Belgium this summer.
#13: Thiago Silva - €17m
The 29-year-old PSG centre half is proof that despite all the glory and money attacking players get across Europe, defenders are still a crucial asset and should be paid handsomely too. Silva earns euro17m and has proven his ability since arriving from Milan in 2012. He will also be hoping to be the man to lift the World Cup in his home nation this summer as Brazil go in search of their first crown since 2002.
#14: Sergio Aguero - €19.7m
One of the world's most clinical strikers, his low centre of gravity, pace and strength make Aguero a valuable asset to Manchester City and that's why he earns just shy of euro20m a year.
#15: Radamel Falcao - €21.2m
Monaco's record signing Radamel Falcao moved from Atletico Madrid last summer for a whopping £50m. However, despite earning well over twenty million euros per year, the Colombian has not done as well as many were expecting in the red and white of Monaco. Falcao has hit nine league goals, but is currently suffering with a cruciate ligament injury, which unfortunately could keep him out of the World Cup.
#16: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - €23.5m
Daring to Zlatan comes at a cost, with the imperious Swedish striker coming in at fifth on the list. Zlatan is in the form of his life and has already hit a staggering 40 goals this season for PSG, including 10 goals in seven Champions League appearances to date. At 32, Zlatan is proving that he is getting better with age and his money confirms that.
#17: Wayne Rooney - €24m
There was widespread uproar after Manchester United's Wayne Rooney signed a new £300,000-a-week contract to stay at Old Trafford recently, considering the highest Englishman on this list had completed his second U-turn on his United future. But Rooney is crucial to United, especially in the highly challenging times they are currently suffering from. He is set to be captain next season and maybe even England's captain too.
#18: Neymar - €29m
Neymar's transfer to Barcelona has been rife with controversy over the last few months after it emerged that Barca were not telling the complete truth over the destination of the fees they paid, whilst also avoiding a fair wad of tax. As a result, the Brazilian's form has suffered, but he has shown glimpses of why he is considered the greatest youngster in the game. Neymar is Brazil's almighty hope to secure a World Cup victory on home soil.
#19: Cristiano Ronaldo - €39.5m
You run out of superlatives to describe this man at times, but he has been edged out of top spot on the list by his biggest rival... and you can probably guess who that is. The Ballon d'Or winner broke Messi's stranglehold on the crown in January, but he is not top of the earners list despite recently netting his 41st goal of the season for Real. Ronaldo is the only man in the club's history to score 40+ goals in four consecutive seasons for Los Blancos and the Portugal captain has fired his club to the top of La Liga as the Clasico approaches this Sunday.
#20: Lionel Messi - €41m
Barcelona's number 10 is the greatest player of his generation and if he keeps up his mind blowing form for the rest of his playing days, it's hard not to argue that Messi will go down as the greatest footballer of all time. Earning euro41m a year, the little Argentinian is only lacking a World Cup winners medal from his mantle, but his club form is unquestionably as good as anyone we have seen before. Becoming Barcelona's leading scorer of all time last weekend was an unbelievable feat for Messi and considering he is only 26-years-old, his record of 371 goals for the Catalan club is sure to keep growing.
