The Premier League is the richest football league in the world and it’s no surprise that it’s biggest stars are amongst the wealthiest athletes in the world. Here are the top 10 richest Premier League footballers.

10. Sergio Aguero - £24m net fortune

As the youngest player on this list at 26, Aguero has years ahead of him to add to his colossal fortune. The Manchester City striker is on a £200,000 a week deal, but is willing to share the wealth. Last summer Aguero offered to buy five players for his former team Independiente last summer, only for no one at the Argentine club to get back to him.

9. Yaya Toure - £25m net fortune

Aguero’s Manchester City teammate signed a new four-year contract last April, which will net the 29-year old £45m at £210,000 per week. Toure’s fortune could be even greater but for his charitable nature. He receives no money for his boot deal with Puma, having instead negotiated a deal whereby football equipment is distributed to underprivileged children in West Africa.

8. Fernando Torres - £26m net fortune

Torres might not have hit top form since joining Chelsea from Liverpool in a £50m deal, but he did hit the jackpot. Torres signed a five-year contract in 2011 worth £175,000 a week plus bonuses, which might hint at the reason why Chelsea have yet to sell the misfiring striker.

7. Ryan Giggs - £27m net fortune

At 40-years old it’s no surprise that Ryan Giggs’ current salary of £75,000 a week is dwarfed by some of the other names on this list. Giggs earnings at Manchester United have been supplemented by lucrative endorsements with the likes of Reebok and Fuji, allowing him to build a huge fortune over a long career.

6. Steven Gerrard - £29m net fortune

The Liverpool and England captain enjoys a £140,000 a week salary and his high-profile has won him endorsements with the likes of Adidas and Persil. Such off the field earnings could continue to grow if the veteran leads England to a successful World Cup campaign.

5. John Terry - £29m net fortune

John Terry may have to take a pay cut from next season, as his £165,000 a week Chelsea deal comes to an end, but his recent windfall in the property market should soften the blow. Terry sold his Surrey mansion for £5.25m last year, moving to a newly built property within the grounds of his former home, only to unexpectedly receive a £16m offer for his new house from the Sultan of Oman.

4. Frank Lampard - £31m net fortune

Lampard is another Chelsea star to use the property market to boost his bank balance. The midfielder is now on £50,000 a week after renegotiating his previous £150,000 a week contract but is very wisely putting his money into bricks and mortar. Lampard lives in a £10m Chelsea house with his fiancé Christine Bleakley and also owns multiple properties across London, Surrey and Cambridge.

3. Rio Ferdinand - £37m net fortune

Like Lampard, the Manchester United defender also had to take a pay cut when renegotiating last summer, but looks to be assured of a new deal for next season following recent assurances from David Moyes. Off the field Ferdinand is also a busy man, with a restaurant in Manchester and a media empire that includes his #5 Magazine.

2. Samuel Eto’o - £39m net fortune

Eto’s £75,000 a week salary at Chelsea is not to be sniffed at but it’s dwarfed by his wages at his former club Anzhi Makhachkala, where he was the world’s highest paid player on £364,583 a week and the second highest-earning athlete in the world behind Tiger Woods, when endorsements were taken into account. The striker is another African footballer with his own charitable foundation, which helps to provide basic healthcare and works on improving social inclusion.

1. Wayne Rooney - £45m net fortune

Rooney has just signed a five and a half year contract with Manchester United, who will pay him £300,000 a week. The England striker had held endorsements with the likes of Nike, Nokia, Ford, Coca Cola and has a five-book deal with Harper Collins for which he received a £5m advance. Off the field Rooney has recently been investing his money in racehorses without much success. The striker’s £60,000 thoroughbreds Pippy and Switcharooney were trained at the stables co-owned by Rooney’s former teammate Michael Owen and Betfair founder Andrew Black, but were retired last year having only won one race between them.