With their bulging salaries and six-figure sponsorship deals, the planet's top footballers can afford to live like kings in the most sumptuous of surroundings. From Cristiano Ronaldo's swanky Madrid home, to Raheem Sterling's minimal villa in Marbella, take a sneaky peek inside the lavish homes of the World Cup superstars.

Raheem Sterling has developed a killer property portfolio. The England and Manchester City player bought a $6.6 million (£5m) villa in the prestigious Spanish resort of Marbella earlier this year, adding to the premium homes he already owns in Liverpool and Manchester.

Sterling's Spanish villa is all about clean lines and white and beige hues – it must be a nightmare to clean. The house has six bedrooms, six bathrooms and huge reception rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Much of the furniture is bespoke and everything from the artwork to the lighting has been meticulously thought out. It's no surprise the villa was one of the most sought-after in Marbs when it went on the market last year.

Like the rest of the house, the bedrooms are fuss-free with oversized windows that showcase the views. The mansion also has a cinema room, wine cellar and custom-made vanishing-edge swimming pool.

Sprawling over 8,000 square feet Cristiano Ronaldo's seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion in an uber-exclusive gated community in a Madrid suburb is as luxe and showy as you'd expect.

Ronaldo appeared in an ad for Poker Stars earlier this year, giving us a glimpse into his kitchen, which is slick and minimal. Not that the hat-trick hero does any cooking himself – the Real Madrid and Portugal star has a team of personal chefs on call 24/7 to cater to his every whim.

The Portugal captain snapped up the contemporary property in 2010 for around $5.7 million (£4.3m), and lives there with his girlfriend Georgina Rodríguez, mini-me son Cristiano Jr, twins Eva Maria and Mateo, and daughter Alana Martina, who are all seen here chilling in the living room.

In 2015, Ronaldo treated athletic media publishing company Unscriptd Sport to a tour of the villa, which included a peep at his bedroom complete with a king-size bed featuring a fetching leopard print duvet cover. Other highlights of the property include a mini football pitch, trophy room and state of the art gym.

Staying in Spain, Ronaldo's arch-rival Lionel Messi lives in an ultra-modern mansion in Barcelona, not far from FC Barcelona's training ground.

The Argentina captain bought the property in 2009 for $2.1 million (£1.6m), and has spent more than $7 million (£5.3m) on renovations. As you can see from this picture of Messi relaxing with his son in the living room, he's opted for a vintage-modern style with plush grey and brown velvet soft-furnishings and feature wallpaper.

Ronaldo may have his very own trophy room, but Messi goes one better with an entire space given over to his impressive football shirt collection, which the highest earning player on the planet has amassed over his illustrious 13-year career.

A real family man it's clear to see that Messi spoils his sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro rotten. As well as a swish nursery complete with a mini Chesterfield three-piece suite, the property is kitted out with a kids' play area and mini football pitch.

England's Captain Fantastic, Harry Kane was the world's top goal-scorer in 2017 and is currently the leading scorer at the World Cup, so you'd be forgiven for thinking the Tottenham striker would live in a ridiculously over-the-top mansion. Yet Kane actually resides in a fairly understated house in Essex.

Kane bought the house, which he shares with fiancée Kate Goodland and daughter Ivy, several years ago and has renovated it extensively. The property is now worth $3.3 million (£2.5m). Last December, Kane instagrammed this snap of his hallway Christmas tree, showing off his design prowess to boot – the stark black and grey colour scheme was a festive winner.

Moving through to the dining room, there's a more vintage, feminine vibe. This picture, posted on Kate Goodland's Instagram, shows the spacious room dressed for an afternoon tea party.

The stylish grey theme extends into the bedroom, which looks like it belongs in a chic boutique hotel. The plush padded wall panels, art deco-style bedside lamps and gorgeous grey quilt create a cosy family retreat. No wonder baby Ivy looks so comfy.

Paul Pogba lucked-out big-time with his mansion in Cheshire. The France and Manchester United player bagged the modern five-bedroom pile for a bargain $4 million (£3m), shaving $800,000 (£600k) off the asking price.

Pogba was living temporarily at Manchester's Lowry Hotel before he acquired the property, which has a masculine, monochromatic vibe, with nods to art deco and classic yacht style. The overall feel is minimal without looking clinical.

Pogba's home has a blissful spa where he can unwind and decompress. The envy-inducing space drips in exquisite black and grey marble, and contains a heated swimming pool, gym, sauna and steam room.

In addition to the living room and spa, the house offers a dining area, games room, media and cinema room and a cutting-edge curved kitchen packed with just about every cool gadget going. Plus the neutrally decorated bedrooms offer a comfortable escape from the hectic pace of life as an international footballer.

Germany and Arsenal's Mesut Özil splashed $13.3 million (£10m) on this elegant six-bedroom, six-reception house in north London in November 2016, and hired a top designer from Turkey to kit it out.

Last September, the player treated Hypebeast to a tour around his pad. Ever proud of his roots, Özil has a special Turkey-inspired room in the house with furnishings and artworks from his homeland.

The main living room is more pared-down and features a large beige sofa and huge mirror. Özil likes to relax in this space, though he confesses the Turkish room is his favourite in the entire house.

The property also features a Turkish marble kitchen and bathrooms, not to mention a cinema/PlayStation room, walk-in wardrobe with a glass sneaker display cabinet plus a basement nightclub, bar and wine cellar (although Özil is actually teetotal).

The property rookie in our round-up, Dele Alli bought his first home last year and is planning to use his Premier League salary to build an enormous real estate empire. The England and Spurs midfielder put down $3 million (£2.3m) on this clapboard mansion in Hertfordshire in January 2017.

The house, which is part of a fancy development called The Stables, has a total of four bedrooms and three reception rooms, all of which are decorated in neutral colours and finished to a very high standard.

Footballer-friendly highlights of the property include a basement gym with all the latest equipment, a wine cellar and cinema room and an underground carpark that's perfect for a supercar or two.

Alli is so serious about building a bumper property portfolio, he has even set up his own real estate company called Future Homes Investments Ltd. The footie ace is hoping to both buy-to-let and flip properties and sell them on.

Spain and FC Barcelona superstar Gerard Piqué and his wife, the Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, own a number of palatial homes in and around Barcelona including this property west of the coastal city.

Features such as the huge balcony and lots of parking are no doubt what attracted the couple to the home, but it's understood they've undertaken extensive renovations since purchasing it in 2012. Today, the interior has been kept minimal and modern with exposed concrete ceilings, black and white photography and bespoke wooden carpentry.

Who wouldn't want to whip up dinner in this sleek kitchen, with views across the Catalan capital? Floor-to-ceiling windows show off the vistas while features such as the speedy induction hob mean it's fully equipped to entertain any famous friends who pop by for dinner.

Health and fitness is clearly a big priority for the famous couple. Lucky then, that the house has both its own fitness studio and also a tennis court, where Piqué challenges his children Milan, five, and Sasha, three, to a game or two. 

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