FOOTBALL RICHEST XI

 

Portuguese newspaper A Bola has compiled the 'world's most expensive XI' - in other words, the world's highest paid players shoehorned into a 4-3-3 formation.

As you would expect, all the big names are there - Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi, Yaya Toure. But there's a few surprises as well.

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have a couple of stars in the team, as do Chelsea.

The rise of the football's new money in Russia and France is also represented. No surprise that Samuel Eto'o is identified as the highest earner - a whopping €20m a year for the Cameroonian. 

Overall, the Premier League has four players, La Liga three, Bundesliga two, France one, and Russia one.

Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City share the honour of being the most well represented club teams with two players each. 

Anyway, here's the best remunerated team in the world.

Goalkeeper | Iker Casillas = €6m a year

Right-back | Philipp Lahm = €10m 

Centre-back | Thiago Silva = €9.8m

Centre-back | John Terry = €9.5m

Left-back | Ashley Cole = €12.4m

Centre-midfield | David Silva = €13m

Centre-midfield | Yaya Toure = €13m

Centre-midfield | Franck Ribery = €10m

Right-wing | Cristiano Ronaldo = €10m

Left-wing | Lionel Messi = €15m

Centre-forward | Samuel Eto'o = €20m

Only three of the FIFA World XI - Messi, Ronaldo and Casillas - make both the best-paid XI and the World Team of the Year 2012.

Does that mean some clubs are overpaying their top stars? Well, Chelsea fans will rightly point out Terry and Cole helped the Blues to a Champions League, while Silva and Toure were Premier League winners last year.

Eto'o and Silva are anomalies - both are beneficiaries of wealthy owners in less reputable leagues eager to compete with world's best.

So, what do you make of the team? Worth the wages?

Have your say below...