Danilele De Rossi the highest paid footballer in Seria A.

Roma's Daniele De Rossi is the highest-earning footballer in Italy, according to figures released on Monday in the peninsula's press.

The 30-year-old midfielder earns EUR6.5m  net per year, a full EUR1m in excess of the second-highest earner - Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain - and EUR2m more than his Giallorossi skipper Francesco Totti.

Serie A's lack of financial pull is well reflected by the figures, which were published by La Gazzetta dello Sport. Only 12 players across the country earn in excess of EUR4m per annum, compared to 13 members of Chelsea's squad who are reported to earn the same figure.

No player from Italy's top division comes close to ranking in Europe's top 10 earners, with De Rossi's wage packet dwarfed by the continent's top earners. PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Monaco counterpart Radamel Falcao are each quoted to earn EUR14m after tax, while Lionel Messi takes home EUR13m from his Barcelona contract. Gareth Bale's new EUR11m-a-year net deal at Real Madrid ranks him only ninth in Europe's top earners.

Elsewhere in the figures, it is shown that champions Juventus pay out EUR49.8m in wages, with AC Milan next on EUR47.94m.

Further exploration shows that De Rossi's Roma teammate Marco Borriello comes in among the top 10 earners in the league with EUR4m net, despite spending two years out of favour with the club. His salary comes in at almost twice that of free-scoring Lazio rival Miroslav Klose (EUR2.1m) and more than Juventus duo Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal (both EUR3.5m), Napoli's Marek Hamsik (EUR3m) and AC Milan's Nigel de Jong (EUR3m).

-punch