There's no data that I can find to answer this question specifically, but the highest-earning musicians often make slightly more money than the top-performing football stars.
Who's richer, footballers or musicians?
This all depends on how you measure things. Both musicians and footballers get paid a huge amount, and being at the top of your game in either field will earn you some serious money.
However, if you look at the biggest earners in each profession, then musicians earn slightly more than footballers.
The highest-earning musicians are Irish rock group U2. In 2011, they made $195 million - which is a lot of money. Even divided between the four of them, that's an average of $48.75 million each!
The top-earning football player, David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy, doesn't come far behind. Taking into account his salary from the LA Galaxy, as well as all his lucrative sponsorship and advertising deals, David made $40 million dollars in 2011.
Will I make more money becoming a footballer, or a musician?
The thing to remember is that, for every Lady Gaga ($90 million a year) or Cristiano Ronaldo ($38 million a year), there are hundreds of thousands of people struggling to get by in both industries.
An amateur musician often has to have a second job as a means to earn an income, and football players who play in lower (or less profitable) leagues often earn modest salaries.
