Mashable Shows Football is Far from Reality in World Cup vs. Life Infographic

    LONDON, ENGLAND, June 14, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The average man or woman in Portugal could have to work for 2,205 years to earn Cristiano Ronaldo's gross annual income. A new infographic titled 'World Cup vs Life', developed by SportsBettingOnline.net and NeoMan Studios, showcases the earnings of some of the top stars competing in the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil compared to the average national income in their country.

Of all the global footballing stars set to grace this summer's World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list for gross annual income. The figure, which includes wages, winnings and endorsements, comes out at $44 million per year. With the average national income in Portugal at $19,949 it means Ronaldo can earn in only four hours what the average Portugal fan cheering him from the stands makes in a whole year.

When it comes to this summer's hosts, Brazil, their star name for the World Cup is Barcelona striker Neymar, who has a gross annual income of $20.5 million - which could be considered small by comparison to Ronaldo. The average Brazilian fan would have to work 2,344 years to earn what the Barcelona man makes in one year, while Neymar takes less than four hours to earn the average Brazilian wage of $8,745.

It is even worse if you are an Argentina fan as you would have to work for over 3,000 years to match star man Lionel Messi's gross annual income. With the Barcelona superstar earning $41.3 million, he can pocket the average national income in less than 2.5 hours - the equivalent of a light morning training session.

England's star man Wayne Rooney has a gross annual income of $21.1 million, compared to an average national income of $30,309. That means the average England fan would have to work 696 years to earn one year's worth of Rooney's income, while the Manchester United striker can earn an average wage for England in just over 11 hours.

The defending champions this summer are Spain, and it takes Fernando Torres 10 hours to earn the average salary in his home country of $24,803. However, it would take the average Spaniard 806 years to earn what the Chelsea striker makes in a year.

Of course the average national income in Europe is far higher than in Africa and that is showcased in the data. An Ivory Coast fan would take 14,033 years to earn as much money as their star striker Didier Drogba makes in 12 months. And it takes their idol Drogba around half an hour to earn the average national income, meaning in the space of one match in Brazil he will earn the same as three men in his homeland. Meanwhile, Cameroon star Samuel Eto'o can earn the average national income in little over an hour, while a Lions' fan would take 7,180 years to earn what the striker makes in one year.

The 'World Cup vs Life' infographic also includes features on country-by-country player age versus national age and the cost of national stadium versus cost of average home for the most expensive stadiums in 12 nations competing in Brazil this summer.

VPIP Media are a boutique media company working in the sports industry with major interests in football, rugby and MMA.

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