Galaxy's Beckham out of this world as pay skyrockets

Beckham's income rose to £24.7m after his move to America from Real Madrid (GETTY IMAGES)

David Beckham is once again football's highest-paid player, according to France Football magazine.

Beckham's earnings from salary and endorsements rose by 82 per cent to €31m (£24.7m) after his move to the Los Angeles Galaxy from Real Madrid. That lifted him above Barcelona's Ronaldinho, whose income was unchanged at £19.2m, the magazine's annual survey said.

Beckham, 32, was the highest-paid footballer for three years until 2005. He now has a $5.5m (£2.8m) basic salary that could be worth as much as $250m (£127m) over five years with endorsements and profit sharing, according to the Galaxy.

Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo rose to third and fourth, with incomes of £18.3m and £15.5m respectively. It is the first time they have been in the top 10.

Jose Mourinho, who left Chelsea in September, remains the top-paid coach – even though he is not currently in charge of a team – with earnings of £23.1m, France Football said. The England coach, Fabio Capello, is next, with £11.3m, followed by Manchester United's Alex Ferguson on £5.9m.

The Brazilian forward Ronaldo may use a spell on loan at Flamengo to boost his fitness before returning to Milan. The three-time World Player of the Year was linked to a permanent move to the Rio de Janeiro club he supported as a child before he suffered a career-threatening knee injury in February. "I have a beautiful relationship with my team [Milan], the doors will always be open for me there, but I have to be up to it," Ronaldo told the La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The idea is to play in Brazil for a few months, maybe at Flamengo, and if everything goes well, reappear in [the] red and black [of Milan]."

Milan have said they will support Ronaldo through a recovery period which is expected to take at least seven more months. However, the Serie A side have yet to commit to a renewal of his contract, which is up at the end of the season. Ronaldo said he had a "huge desire" to return to action. "There is still a long way to go. Perhaps it will be four months before I can start running, but the recovery will be quicker than last time," he said.

Ronaldo suffered a similar injury in his right knee when playing for Internazionale in 2000. The 31-year-old denied speculation that drugs he was given when playing for PSV Eindhoven between 1994 and 1996 may have contributed to injuries later in his career. "Many talk about anabolic steroids they are said to have given me to grow. None of all this [is true]," he said.

He also defended Cristiano Ronaldo after Roma's David Pizarro accused the Manchester United player of using his skills to mock the Italian side in the Champions League quarter-final tie last week. The Brazilian said his namesake's moves were aimed at shaking off markers. "What's more, I'm in favour of joyful football," he said.

Football's rich list

1 David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy, £24.7m

2 Ronaldinho, Barcelona, £19.2m

3 Lionel Messi, Barcelona, £18.3m

4 Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, £15.5m

5 Thierry Henry, Barcelona, £13.4m

6 John Terry, Chelsea, £11.1m

7 Michael Ballack, Chelsea, £11m

8 Ronaldo, Milan, £10.7m

9 Kaka, Milan, £10.3m

10 Steven Gerrard, Liverpool, £9.4m

Source: France Football (income includes salary and endorsements)