I made £50MILLION in my football career and earned less than only Ronaldo and Messi before retiring to play golf

ONE little-known footballer used to be the third highest paid player in the world, but now he's swapped the pitch for the pitching wedge.

Dario Conca, 41, once had comparable bank balances to and when he was in his prime.

Conca, who hung up his boots in 2019, had a career that saw him earn over £50MILLION.

The Argentinian midfielder spent most of his career playing in South America for the likes of , Vasco de Gama and Fluminense.

But after nine years of tearing it up in and , Conca turned his attention to Asia – earning a £7.6m switch to the in 2011.

Conca penned a two-and-a-half-year deal with Guangzhou Evergrande worth an eye-popping £170,000 per week.

That money made him the third highest-paid player in the world, only earning less than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in their prime as they battled it out in for Real Madrid and .

After three seasons earning his pay cheque and scoring 54 goals in 99 appearances, Conca left China to return to Brazil.

Now, some 11 years later, he has found a new passion in a completely new sport.

Conca has turned his hand to golf, and is hoping to make it pro on the course the same way he did on the pitch.

Speaking toGloboEsporte.comin 2019, he said: “Football has given me a lot, I love this career, it was fantastic for me, but today I think it’s the right time for me to stop.”;;

“I was not thinking about today. It gave me a lot, I’m very grateful for everything, I managed to make a career, to have recognition.

“I've already started on thegolfcourse, I always wanted to play, to discover new sports.[Golf] always caught my attention.

“Today I have more time to dedicate myself, to do something that motivates me to overcome myself.

“You think I start playing games, right? I want to play golf. It happens with every player, we feel that desire to compete, to always want to come and improve every day. Let's start as a joke, like another sport.

“Then we'll see. I'll try to do my best, prepare myself, train and then we'll see how far to go.”

Conca is yet to make it pro and it wouldn't be the best bet to whack your savings on him playing in anytime soon.

But he certainly does have a love for the sport, regularly sharing snaps of himself on the course all over the world – including a round on ‘s Miami course last year.

A career to remember

Despite not reaching the heights of Messi and Ronaldo on the pitch, Conca still had an impressive career.

His come-up in South America saw him win the Brazilian top flight in 2010 and earn the title of Serie A player of the year in the same season.

While he was a three-time Chinese champion during his spell with Guangzhou Evergrande, as well as winning the Chinese Super Cup, Chinese Cup and the AFC Champions League.

But it wasn't all plane sailing for the former Argentina youth international.

During his time in China he was slapped with a huge nine-game ban after he questioned his own manager's decision to substitute him.

He said at the time: “I don't understand why they always sideline me with the excuse that I'm exhausted and need rest.

“How could I have scored a crucial penalty if I'm not in condition? And why does the coach always have Conca take a rest?”

Conca ultimately left China to return to Fluminense in Brazil.

That was until a call came from former boss, the late .

Conca is like Messi, he is the same size, he is left footed, he is a fantastic dribbler and he makes and scores a lot of goals.

When I came here, he was the one player I wanted more than any other.

Sven Goran Eriksson

Eriksson convinced Conca to return to China after taking charge of Shanghai SIPG, telling the media at the time that he was his number one target and comparing him to Messi.

He said: “Conca is like Messi, he is the same size, he is left footed, he is a fantastic dribbler and he makes and scores a lot of goals.”;;

“When I came here, he was the one player I wanted more than any other.”;;

Conca spent another two seasons in China before joining American side Austin Bold where he decided to call it a day on his career at 37 years old.