Lionel Messi is the highest paid football athlete in the world in 2022, behind only LeBron James of the LA Lakers.

Messi ranks first among all football players, ahead of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. Despite the switch from FC Barcelona to PSG, Messi continues to win.

The Argentine has a salary and total winnings of $72 million with his club. This according to Sportico. His endorsements, which include Adidas, Budweiser, Mengniu, ORCAM, Mastercard, Ooredoo, Konami, Hard Rock, Pepsi/Lays/Gatorade, YPF, Saudi Arabia Tourism, Socios, Sorare and Cirque Du Soleil.

He is ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo who makes $115 million and Neymar who makes $103 million.

Lautaro Martínez and Joaquín Correa will get the chance to lift their first Coppa Italia with Inter as they play Paulo Dybala and reigning Coppa Italia champions Juventus.

One Argentine will be lifting the Coppa Italia as both teams play on Wednesday in the final. Lautaro is the only one of the three who has yet to win the trophy with Correa having previously won it with Lazio.

Martínez is in the best form of his career. The Argentine scored twice in Inter’s last match and has scored 19 goals in Serie A this season, 23 goals in total. That tally is the most ever in a single season for him.

Correa has four goals in Serie A this season. He has not yet scored in the Coppa Italia.

Paulo Dybala won the trophy last season with Juventus, having won it four times. This would be the last trophy he could win with the club as he is reportedly close to joining Inter.

Leandro Paredes spoke about which players in the Argentina national team surprised him, the game vs. Italy and his recovery.

Paredes is presently out injured and will miss the rest of the season for PSG. However, he might be available for Argentina in the Finalissima game against Italy.

The match between the Copa America and Euro champions takes place on June 1 at Wembley in London, England. Paredes spoke to Julián Giacobbe on his YouTube channel. Here is what he had to say:

“My recovery? It’s going very well. Time is not in my favor but my idea is to get to the final against Italy. Today, I want to risk it only for that final.”

In regards to which players in the Argentina national team surprised him the most:

“Licha Martínez and Cuti Romero are the players that surprised me the most in the national team. They are physically strong, fast and good with the ball at their feet. They give us a guarantee.”

He also had this to say about the Spanish national team:

“I believe a national team like Spain, that has the ball and move it, can make it very difficult for us.”

Ángel Di María spoke about his time with the Argentina national team, winning the Copa America and Diego Maradona.

Di María has been part of the Argentina national team for 14 years. He was part of the team which lost 4-0 vs. Germany in 2010, lost the two Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016 and was part of the team which got eliminated in the last World Cup.

Now 34 years old, Di María scored one of the most important goals in the history of the Argentina national team. Scoring the goal which won Argentina the Copa America.

But it was not always easy. Speaking in an interview with Todo Pasa, here is what he had to say:

“We went through very difficult times, very screwed up in which criticism is normal… but now we are in a positive way, in that beautiful moment of football. We were able to bring joy to all Argentines with that Copa.

“After the Copa America, when I got home and they were there (his daughters), they told me “finally you wonm, thsi time, they won’t be able to say anything.” It’s small things that people don’t know but behind it you have a family which suffers a lot.

“It crossed my mind many times to quit (the national team) but my parents didn’t team me that. They didn’t team me to stop fighting, to fight for those goals.”

In regards to the World Cup:

“I believe this is my last chance of being World champion and I will try. Having won the Copa gives you that hope.”

Regarding the 2018 World Cup and Argentina:

“If we have to think or to be realistic, I believe we deserved to be eliminated in the group stages.”

About a possible retirement:

“The idea is one more (season) in Europe and then turn around. But we already know what football is like and we have to take it year after year, seeing how everything goes.”

On Diego Maradona:

“Diego was my second father. He was everything for me. He backed me when they didn’t back me. When they criticized me, he came out and back me, he kept picking me. He came every night to our room (where they were staying) and he spoke to me.”