Five of the 10 richest English footballers are playing their football in Manchester.
Wayne Rooney leads the way with an estimated net worth of £45million, while his Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand sits in second place with £37million.
Fellow United player Michael Carrick sits in eighth place with £16million, just ahead of both Ashley Young and Manchester City’s James Milner, who are worth £13million.
James Milner’s inclusion might come as a surprise to some people, given that he lives a relatively quiet life off the pitch and is rarely seen promoting or advertising.
He is also the youngest on the list at 27.
Rooney’s fortune comes from his apparent £250,000 a week wages as well as his sponsorship deal with Nike, for whom he is regularly seen advertising.
Ferdinand has made his money from his vast wages, as well as the ownership of Rosso Restaurant in Manchester as well as his own magazine, #5.
Michael Carrick is another player who keeps a relatively low profile off the pitch and endorses very little, but has still managed to accumulate an estimated worth £16million.
Ashley Young has appeared in high-profile Lucozade adverts, although he was famously dropped from the campaign following his penalty miss at Euro 2012.
The other plays who make up the list are Frank Lampard, John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and Ashley Cole.
There has been a divide in the past about footballer’s wages, an argument which was triggered again recently by Gareth Bale’s reported £300,000 a week contract at Real Madrid.
Clarke Carlisle, chairman of the Professional Footballer’s Association (PFA), said: “Footballers’ wages are dictated by the market. Football, like any other industry, conforms to supply and demand. The football industry is a multimillion-pound industry worldwide, so the purveyors of that industry should reap the benefits.”
Steven Powell, policy director of the Football Supporters’ Federation, said: “At a time when income from broadcasters and sponsors has never been higher, ticket prices are in orbit, yet record numbers of clubs are drowning in a sea of red ink.”
The news comes only a month after Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said he expected the salaries of top players to continue to rise.
He said: “In terms of player wages we are seeing inflation around it but we are also seeing, particularly within the Premier League, a fall in the acceleration around player wage growth.
“I think [this is] due to financial fair play rules and the rules that have been put in place in the Premier League.
“But when you look at the top end of wages, the top 10 teams in Europe or the top players, we are seeing inflation at that end. There is a bit of a mix going on and we will present a blend over that over the next three to five years.”
Image courtesy of Tsutomo Takasu via WikiCommons, with thanks.
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