Unknown Argentine was once the third best paid player in the world behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

A little-known Argentine footballer was once the third highest-paid player in the world – only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo earned more at the time.

In 2011, with Ronaldo and Messi at the peak of their powers, Dario Conca was playing for Brazilian-based side Fluminense.

Conca was voted as the best player in Brazil’s Serie A in both 2009 and 2010.

His impressive performances earned him a lucrative move to the Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande.

The China-based outfit paid a reported fee of $10 million – a record for the club at the time.

The Argentine midfielder signed a two-and-a-half-year contract in China, which earned him a tidy £170,000 per week.

His huge salary made him the third highest-earning footballer on the planet at the time.

Messi was earning an estimated £10.7m per year, which equates to just over £200,000 per week, according to The Richest.

Ronaldo was earning a similar amount, according to reports. But his commercial earnings were far superior to most of his peers.

Like Ronaldo, Conca was not afraid to give his opinion on the pitch.

He was once banned for nine games, after questioning his manager’s decision to sub him off during games.

“I don’t understand why they always sideline me with the excuse that I’m exhausted and need rest,” he said.

“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?”

Dario Conca retired in 2019 (Credit:Getty)

Despite the controversy, he did help Guangzhou win three consecutive Chinese Super League titles in a row and also the AFC Champions League in 2013.

Conca left China in 2014 and rejoined Fluminense.

He saw his wage drop from an eye-watering £170,000 per week to just £8,000 per week.

Just one year later, he was back in China.

This time, he joined Shanghai SIPG.

At the time, the club were managed by former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson.

“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,” he explained following Conca’s arrival.

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

After three years with Shanghai, he was loaned to Fluminese before a short-spell US-based side, Austin Bold. The Argentine retired in 2019.