Show me the money…

Here’s an interesting list of the top 10 salaried players in football today. It only takes into consideration actual club paycheck, so players like David Beckham, who get massive amounts of promotional income, not to mention a percentage of gate receipts, are not included.

Also, to try and even the field, all sums are net after tax.

Based on this list, you can certainly say that Messi is underpaid, hehehe.

The only real surprise is Dario Conca. The Argentine midifielder led Fluminense to the Brazilian title in 2010, and was Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010. Then he jumped to Chinese Club Guangzhou for a ridiculous amount. No question he’s a good player. BUT: He’s not even good enough to make the Argentina squad! You really can’t blame him for taking the money.

Now we can speculate why Cristiano Ronaldo is so sad, because he’s at the bottom of the list.

So how does the Bundesliga do? Well, the top earners are Philipp Lahm and Bastian Scweinsteiger of Bayern. Both are estimated to make 9-10 million euros, but that’s *before* tax. So you can see why the German clubs are quite a way behind some of their richer cousins.

Top paid footballers

(millions of euros after tax)

 1.  Samuel Eto'o         (Anzhi Makhachkala)     20.0
 2.  Zlatan Ibrahimovich  (Paris SG)              14.5
 3.  Wayne Rooney         (Manchester United)     13.8
 4.  Yaya Toure           (Manchester City)       13.0
 5.  Sergio Aguero        (Manchester City)       12.5
 6.  Didier Drogba        (Shanghai Shenua)       12.1
 7.  Fernando Torres      (Chelsea)               10.8
 8.  Dario Conca          (Guangzhou Evergrande)  10.6
 9.  Lionel Messi         (Barcelona)             10.5
10.  Cristiano Ronaldo    (Real Madrid)           10.0
10.  Kaka                 (Real Madrid)           10.0

5 thoughts on “Show me the money…

  1. So, 10m Euros before tax is what in Germany? Anybody familiar with the tax code? The top bracket used to be around 60%, I seem to remember…

    But yeah, poor Messi :-) Anyway, the ‘work environment’ is part of the compensation package.

    • I think you’re basically right. I ran a few scenarios through a German tax calculator, and basically ended up with about 50% of the earnings going to Angela Merkel and Greece…hehehehehe

    • Rooney needs to be in the tope bracket for on field earnings because he’s too thick to earn any money from advertising and promotions. Hehe

      • Catch this recent interview with Wayne (with apologies to Monty Python)

        Interviewer: Last night at Old Trafford, Manchester, we witnessed the resuscitation of a great footballing tradition, when Manchester United came of age, in a European sense, with an almost Proustian display of modern existentialist football. Virtually annihilating by midfield moral argument the now surely obsolescent catennachio defensive philosophy of Signor Alberto Fanffino. Bologna indeed were a side intellectually out argued by a United team thrusting and bursting with aggressive Kantian positivism and outstanding in this fine United team was my man of the match, the arch-thinker, free scheming, scarcely ever to be curbed, midfield cognoscento, Wayne Rooney.

        Rooney: Good evening Brian.

        Interviewer: Wayne, at least one ageing football commentator was gladdened last night by the sight of an English footballer breaking free of the limpid tentacles of packed Mediterranean defence.

        Rooney: Good evening Brian.

        Interviewer: Were you surprised at the way the Italians ceded midfield dominance so early on in the game?

        Rooney: Well Brian… I’m opening a boutique.

        Interviewer: This is of course symptomatic of a new breed of footballer as it is indeed symptomatic of your whole genre of player, is it not?

        Rooney: Good evening Brian.

        Interviewer: What I’m getting at, Wayne, is you seem to have discovered a new concept with a mode in which you dissected the Italian defence, last night.

        Rooney: (pauses for thought) I hit the ball first time and there it was in the back of the net. (smiles and looks around)

        Interviewer: Do you think United will adopt a more defensive posture for the first leg of the next tie in Turkey?

        Rooney: (confidently) I hit the ball first time and there it was in the back of the net.

        Interviewer: Yes, yes – but have you any plans for dealing with the free-scoring Turkish forwards?

        Rooney: Well Brian… I’m opening a boutique.

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRKYsao2ciY

  2. Perhaps Cristiano Whine-aldo will be less sad now. Spanish media is reporting that Real Madrid is offering a new contract with a 6 million euro raise…

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