I played with Lionel Messi and earned more than Cristiano Ronaldo after escaping drug-riddled neighbourhood

There are not many footballers who can say they earned more than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi during their careers.

And even fewer who have hailed from neighbourhoods where drugs, murder and gang crime dominate the daily life.

But that is exactly what Carlos Tevez had to deal with as a child growing up in Fuerte Apache, Argentina.

Otherwise known as Barrio Ejercito de los Andes, the neighbourhood has landed a reputation as one of the most dangerous areas in Buenos Aires with a high murder rate and prevalent drug use.

Speaking about his childhood in 2015, Tevez spoke candidly to The Weekly and admitted it was not easy growing up.

He said: «It is tough to make people understand what life is like if they haven't been through the same things as I have experienced, so people can make of it what they want.

»You can't get inside the heads of other people and say to them 'look, I went through some rough times'.

«It is impossible to explain everything the streets taught me — and that was quite a lot.

»My whole childhood was hard. I lived in a place where drugs and murder were part of everyday life.

«Experiencing difficult things, even as a very young kid, means you grow up quickly.

»I think that enables everyone to choose their own path and not just accept the one others have taken before you.

«I never condoned drugs or murder and luckily I was able to make a choice.»

But it was not all doom and gloom for Tevez, who went on to forge an incredibly successful career in England, Italy, Brazil and Argentina with his beloved Boca Juniors, where he played across three spells beginning as a professional in 2001.

The striker moved to Europe from Corinthians to join West Ham in 2006 before joining Manchester United on loan for two years in 2007