Gareth Bale was thought by many to be Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid successor on the pitch, and he is beginning to rival him off it as well.
The Welshman may not put himself as regularly in the public eye as his most famous team-mate but he has nevertheless curried favour with plenty of sponsors and earns a huge weekly wage at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But exactly how does Bale stack up financially when compared to Ronaldo and the other top players in the world?
- What is Gareth Bale's net worth?
- How much does Gareth Bale earn?
- What sponsorship deals does Gareth Bale have?
- What businesses does Gareth Bale have?
- What charity work does Gareth Bale do?
What is Gareth Bale's net worth?
Bale's net worth is £74 million ($90m), according to the 2018 Sunday Times Rich List, which was a rise of £20m ($24m).
Including endorsement deals and Real Madrid salary, the Wales international earned $34.5m (£27m) in 2018 according to Forbes, which made him the fourth highest-earning footballer in the world, behind Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
How much does Gareth Bale earn?
Bale is said to pocket around £350,000 a week after tax, with the Guardian claiming that once bonuses are accounted for he will earn £150 million over the duration of the deal.
The rumour was, when Gareth Bale signed a new six-year deal at Real Madrid in October 2016, that Los Blancos had made him the best-paid player in the world.
His reign, however, lasted only a week. Madrid were never going to be able to give Bale a pay rise without ensuring Ronaldo was kept happy by remaining the top dog in the Spanish capital and, sure enough, the veteran signed his own six-year extension with just slightly better terms soon after.
Getty ImagesWhat sponsorship deals does Gareth Bale have?
Along with Lionel Messi, Bale has become the face of Adidas' football arm and reportedly signed a new deal with the company in 2014 worth £20m over six years.
He has also featured prominently for Nissan in their Champions League campaigns and had a 12-month deal with Foot Locker in 2016.
What businesses does Gareth Bale have?
Bale is only scratching the surface when it comes to the personal businesses the likes of Ronaldo have set up to exploit their brand and prepare for a career away from football.
A company called Primesure Limited has been established, however, to manage his own affairs. It has three shareholders; Bale himself owns 60 per cent of the company and his parents have 20 per cent each. Touchingly, according to the addresses listed on the company's accounts, Bale's parents appear to still live in the modest Cardiff home Gareth grew up in.
Getty ImagesWhat charity work does Gareth Bale do?
Again, it should be noted here that Bale's rise to stardom is more recent than that of Ronaldo, Messi and some of the players he now finds himself alongside in terms of salary.
As such, most of his charitable endeavours thus far have focused on local issues close to him and his family.
He supported the 'For Luca' campaign that aimed to raise £1.5m for a young boy who had suffered from severe meningitis to pay for prosthetic legs, and donated a signed Real Madrid shirt to help save a Cardiff scout group needing £250,000 to buy its headquarters.