Soccer players with English Premier League club Manchester City are the most highly paid athletes in global sport, according to a study published Wednesday.

The study, carried out by Britain's Sporting Intelligence website, found that the average annual salary of a first-team player at City was 5.3 million pounds ($8.9 million).

City top the list ahead of ­Major League Baseball teams the New York Yankees and the LA Dodgers, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, ­Bayern ­Munich, Manchester United and Chelsea also featuring in the top 10.

The NBA's Brooklyn Nets and ­Chicago Bulls complete the lineup.