Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi is by far the highest-grossing Latin American of 2017, according to Forbes magazine.
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Between January and June, he earned US$80 million, putting him far beyond 2017 earnings from the next highest-grossing people of Latin American descent: Louis CK with US$52 million and Colombian actress Sofia Vergara with US$41.5 million. This incomes places Messi at number 14 of Forbes' 100 richest celebrities in the world.
This year, the FC Barcelona forward resigned his contract with the team until 2021, which will likely increase his earning by another US$130 million. This may potentially bump his Real Madrid rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, from being the highest-earning soccer player.
Vergara and Puerto Rican singer Jennifer Lopez, who earned US$38 million, were the only two women who made the highest-grossing Latin American list.
Messi is spending the December holidays with his family in Rosario, Argentina.