Cristiano Ronaldo Reportedly Wants Wages Parity with Lionel Messi and Neymar

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly wants his contract to include a salary that matches the sums being earned by Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar. 

According to Jose Felix Diaz of Marca, Ronaldo wants parity with the pair, who both earn around €25 million per year (£22 million) as part of their deals. Neymar signed a lucrative contract with PSG in the summer after a transfer from Barcelona, while Messi is set to pen a bumper new contract at the Camp Nou.

"This does not mean that the Portuguese is seeking a confrontation with the club, and in fact at the moment there is a good relationship which is helped by [manager Zinedine] Zidane," Diaz reported.

It's suggested Madrid aren't ready to give in to these demands from their No. 7, either: "The club board is not considering the option to give him an improved deal at the moment as they don't believe that it is the moment, and their priority is to renew other players like Sergio Ramos."

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Ronaldo discussed his situation at Real Madrid after Tuesday's 3-1 win against Borussia Dortmund, in which he netted twice.

When asked about getting a new deal, the 32-year-old said "that is a better question maybe for the president—he would know better than me how to answer," per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC. He also defended his goalscoring record after a slow start to the season:

Ronaldo signed a new contract last year, committing his future to Madrid until 2021, so it's no surprise Real are in no rush to give their star man fresh terms. After all, the Portuguese will be 36 by the time his contract runs out.

Still, Ronaldo does have a case to be paid on a par with the biggest earners in world football. In recent seasons, he's been sensational for Madrid, turning in talismanic performances and netting some crucial goals on the way to numerous trophies.

Per Eurosport UK, his productivity has been stunning for Los Blancos:

PSG's summer purchases of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe appear to have been the trigger for bigger transfer fees and bigger wages across football. So Ronaldo and other key men at their respective clubs may find themselves giving higher-ups nudges and pointing towards the sums being earned in Paris as a barometer.

Madrid will be keen to keep Ronaldo as content as possible, especially given there were rumblings throughout the summer that he wanted to leave the club, as Dan Roan BBC Sport reported. It's something Los Blancos will no doubt address further along the line.