Jon
09-19-07, 07:29 PM
The 9 richest footballers in Britain
Footballers have never been richer. This season, the average Premier League salary will be £21,000 a week, or an incredible £1.1 million a year, according to analysts Deloitte.
It’s a long, long way from 1881 when Blackburn Rovers were the first club to pay their players. The sum back then? A princely £1 a week. Even Roy Keane’s then-record £50,000 a week deal at Manchester United back in 1999 now looks quite conservative in comparison to today’s pay packets.
The ongoing saga over money in football has carried on all summer right up to the start of the season. Following the record TV deals signed last year, English football has never been richer. A raft of new contracts has seen salary ceilings at several clubs broken and record new contracts negotiated.
The latest development has seen Chelsea’s Frank Lampard putting negotiations over a new contract on hold until next season. Despite reportedly seeking more money, his current salary already puts him in the list of the 10 richest players currently plying their trade in Britain. We’ve worked out how these players would earn per minute if they played every game of the 38-game English Premier League season. Of course, most of them won’t.
Read on to find out who else makes the list and how much they earn.
What it really costs to be a football fan
1) John Terry
The Chelsea and England skipper has had a successful summer financially, if not on the injury front. He signed a record £131,000-a-week deal at Stamford Bridge, worth £35 million over five years. This makes him the highest paid player in the Premier League and the highest paid defender in the world. In terms of his value to the club, it is not only Terry’s performances on the pitch that are highly prized. He has been at Chelsea since he was 14 and is seen as a vital link between the players and the fans.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,991.81
2) Andriy Shevchenko/ Michael Ballack
The two big Chelsea buys of last summer were also their two biggest earners, at £121,000 each a week, before Terry got his increase. They were also arguably Chelsea’s biggest underachievers last season. Shevchenko’s haul of 14 league and cup goals cost Chelsea £449,429 apiece, although his season was curtailed by injury. Ballack also played in fits and starts, with 26 games and just four goals under his belt. Both will need to step up their games this season to justify their incomes.
Costs per Premier League minute - £1,839.77
3) Steven Gerrard
Gerrard was at the centre of a long-running transfer saga a couple of summers ago, where Chelsea were reportedly prepared to pay him £125,000 a week. In the end he settled to stay at Anfield for £120,000 a week. Since then, he’s helped them to win an FA Cup and contest the Champions League final. A talismanic influence, his commitment to the club on the field is unmistakable, even if his commitment off it is sometimes questionable.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,824.56
4) Cristiano Ronaldo
The tricky winger is now picking up a cool £119,000 a week, helped by some great form which in turn sparked interest from Real Madrid at the end of last season. The five-year £31 million contract he subsequently signed makes him the highest paid player at Old Trafford, with a bigger income than colleagues Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,809.36
5) Wayne Rooney
England’s star player is now not taking home as much as team mate and close friend Ronaldo at £110,000 a week. However, his new contract, signed in November 2006, at the time made him the highest paid player in British football history. In addition to his massive pay cheque from the day job, he has endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, Asda, Coca-Cola and EA Sports.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,672.51
6) Michael Owen
Owen’s endured a pretty miserable time since his return to the Premier League with Newcastle in 2005. Still, he will be somewhat consoled by his £110,000 a week salary. Whether that has been value to money to Newcastle over the past two seasons is debatable. Owen has made just 14 appearances and scored seven goals. He desperately needs to redress those stats this season.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,672.51
7) Frank Lampard
Like his team mate John Terry, Lampard has also spent the last few months in contract talks. This followed months of speculation linking him to other clubs, primarily Barcelona and Juventus. However, unlike Terry, Lampard’s situation has not been resolved, leaving him on £105,000 a week, less than three of his team mates.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,596.49
8) Rio Ferdinand
Another reliable performer on the pitch, off it Ferdinand’s salary has made him the target of some fans’ abuse over the years. Following his failure to attend a drugs test in the 2003/04 season, he was still paid by Manchester United throughout his subsequent eight-month ban from the game. That bill came to around £4 million. He then came under fire for allegedly demanding £120,000 a week during contract renegotiations in 2005, despite United having stood by him during his time in the wilderness. He eventually settled at around the £100,000 a week mark.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,520.47
9) Didier Drogba
Drogba’s goals were one saving grace of a relatively disappointing campaign for Chelsea last season. He certainly outperformed his higher earning colleagues Shevchenko and Ballack. In November last year, he signed a new contract until 2010, putting him on around £91,000 a week. Big money, but given that Drogba scored the winner in five games last season, Chelsea fans may feel it’s money well spent.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,383.63
Footballers have never been richer. This season, the average Premier League salary will be £21,000 a week, or an incredible £1.1 million a year, according to analysts Deloitte.
It’s a long, long way from 1881 when Blackburn Rovers were the first club to pay their players. The sum back then? A princely £1 a week. Even Roy Keane’s then-record £50,000 a week deal at Manchester United back in 1999 now looks quite conservative in comparison to today’s pay packets.
The ongoing saga over money in football has carried on all summer right up to the start of the season. Following the record TV deals signed last year, English football has never been richer. A raft of new contracts has seen salary ceilings at several clubs broken and record new contracts negotiated.
The latest development has seen Chelsea’s Frank Lampard putting negotiations over a new contract on hold until next season. Despite reportedly seeking more money, his current salary already puts him in the list of the 10 richest players currently plying their trade in Britain. We’ve worked out how these players would earn per minute if they played every game of the 38-game English Premier League season. Of course, most of them won’t.
Read on to find out who else makes the list and how much they earn.
What it really costs to be a football fan
1) John Terry
The Chelsea and England skipper has had a successful summer financially, if not on the injury front. He signed a record £131,000-a-week deal at Stamford Bridge, worth £35 million over five years. This makes him the highest paid player in the Premier League and the highest paid defender in the world. In terms of his value to the club, it is not only Terry’s performances on the pitch that are highly prized. He has been at Chelsea since he was 14 and is seen as a vital link between the players and the fans.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,991.81
2) Andriy Shevchenko/ Michael Ballack
The two big Chelsea buys of last summer were also their two biggest earners, at £121,000 each a week, before Terry got his increase. They were also arguably Chelsea’s biggest underachievers last season. Shevchenko’s haul of 14 league and cup goals cost Chelsea £449,429 apiece, although his season was curtailed by injury. Ballack also played in fits and starts, with 26 games and just four goals under his belt. Both will need to step up their games this season to justify their incomes.
Costs per Premier League minute - £1,839.77
3) Steven Gerrard
Gerrard was at the centre of a long-running transfer saga a couple of summers ago, where Chelsea were reportedly prepared to pay him £125,000 a week. In the end he settled to stay at Anfield for £120,000 a week. Since then, he’s helped them to win an FA Cup and contest the Champions League final. A talismanic influence, his commitment to the club on the field is unmistakable, even if his commitment off it is sometimes questionable.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,824.56
4) Cristiano Ronaldo
The tricky winger is now picking up a cool £119,000 a week, helped by some great form which in turn sparked interest from Real Madrid at the end of last season. The five-year £31 million contract he subsequently signed makes him the highest paid player at Old Trafford, with a bigger income than colleagues Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,809.36
5) Wayne Rooney
England’s star player is now not taking home as much as team mate and close friend Ronaldo at £110,000 a week. However, his new contract, signed in November 2006, at the time made him the highest paid player in British football history. In addition to his massive pay cheque from the day job, he has endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, Asda, Coca-Cola and EA Sports.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,672.51
6) Michael Owen
Owen’s endured a pretty miserable time since his return to the Premier League with Newcastle in 2005. Still, he will be somewhat consoled by his £110,000 a week salary. Whether that has been value to money to Newcastle over the past two seasons is debatable. Owen has made just 14 appearances and scored seven goals. He desperately needs to redress those stats this season.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,672.51
7) Frank Lampard
Like his team mate John Terry, Lampard has also spent the last few months in contract talks. This followed months of speculation linking him to other clubs, primarily Barcelona and Juventus. However, unlike Terry, Lampard’s situation has not been resolved, leaving him on £105,000 a week, less than three of his team mates.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,596.49
8) Rio Ferdinand
Another reliable performer on the pitch, off it Ferdinand’s salary has made him the target of some fans’ abuse over the years. Following his failure to attend a drugs test in the 2003/04 season, he was still paid by Manchester United throughout his subsequent eight-month ban from the game. That bill came to around £4 million. He then came under fire for allegedly demanding £120,000 a week during contract renegotiations in 2005, despite United having stood by him during his time in the wilderness. He eventually settled at around the £100,000 a week mark.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,520.47
9) Didier Drogba
Drogba’s goals were one saving grace of a relatively disappointing campaign for Chelsea last season. He certainly outperformed his higher earning colleagues Shevchenko and Ballack. In November last year, he signed a new contract until 2010, putting him on around £91,000 a week. Big money, but given that Drogba scored the winner in five games last season, Chelsea fans may feel it’s money well spent.
Cost per Premier League minute - £1,383.63