Ronaldo on £26.2m wage a year ‘demands one more euro than Messi’s £34.9m to stay at Madrid
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly demanded to be paid one more euro than Barcelona rival Lionel Messi during discussions over a new contract.
The 33-year-old is thought to be in talks over an improved deal at the Bernabeu following a remarkable goalscoring streak which has seen him find the back of the net 17 times in his last eight appearances across all competitions.
Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo reports that Madrid are willing to offer the prolific forward €30m (£26.2m) per season to stay at the club, although this would still leave Ronaldo behind Neymar and Messi in terms of football’s highest earners.
Neymar is currently on a £31.8m-a-season deal at Paris Saint-Germain, whereas Messi is understood to earn £34.9m per year with Barcelona – a figure Ronaldo believes he also deserves.
The report claims that Ronaldo has told Real Madrid that his contract should reflect the fact that he won the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s The Best award for 2017 and therefore should be higher than what Barcelona pay to Messi – even by just one euro.
On top of that Ronaldo also reportedly wants to be rewarded for individual titles, goals, records and claiming the Pichichi award as La Liga’s top scorer – a race he currently trails Messi in by three goals.
