Messi, Ronaldo’s Earnings Higher Than Osun, Nasarawa Budgets

The budgets of Osun, Nasarawa, Enugu and seven other states in the country are less than the annual earnings of 10 top athletes in Europe and America put together.

The combined yearly salaries of athletes such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and basketball star, Lebron James, are higher than the budgets of some states in Nigeria put together.

According to reports published on sportreview.com, the total amount earned per year by the three athletes from salaries, sponsorships and endorsements is N148,992,480,000.

Using the Central Bank of Nigeria exchange rate of N424.48 to $1, Messi earns N55,182,400,000 ($130m); Ronaldo gets N48,815,200,000 ($115m), while James takes home N51,362,080,000 ($121.2m).

The Punch