Infographic: The World Cup Dwarfs Real Life

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo earns approximately $44 million per year through his playing salary with Real Madrid and a myriad of endorsement deals. The average Portuguese person earns ... a lot less. Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Didier Drogba , the list goes on — World Cup stars' incomes, not surprisingly, dwarf the average incomes in their respective home countries

But seeing just how much more World Cup heroes make than their countrymen is interesting indeed. And it doesn't stop there — the World Cup is outsized in every way

The infographic below, from Sports Betting Online and NeoMam Studios, takes a look at this pay gap across the globe. It also compares the average age of World Cup players to the average age of their respective countrymen, as well as how many houses could have been bought for the cost of constructing some of the world's most iconic national soccer stadiums. It's fascinating stuff Read more...