01. Samuel Eto’o
2011 salary: $28.9 million
The former Inter Milan forward was courted by Anzhi Makhachkala and wooed into joining the club by Suleiman Kerimov, a oil tycoon.
This will make the Cameroonian the highest-paid footballer in the world. His nearly $29 million a year contract puts him ahead of the game’s best such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi.
