Many Are Called. Few Succeed. Manchester United: Beyond the Promised Land

Top 10 Richest Players In The World

10. Francesco Totti

Where he plays: AS Roma and Italy

What he earns: £73,000 a week

Forget Rooney’s metatarsal – Italy was held in the grip of panic after star forward Totti broke his leg earlier this year. Il gladotorio is Italy’s highest-paid player and boosts his income further with his football school, named Number Ten, and a motorbike team called "Totti Top Sport". Totti even has his own clothing line – the Never Without You range. His endorsements are worth some £5.7m a year – nearly twice his annual wage.

9. Ruud van Nistelrooy

Where he plays: Manchester United and Holland

What he earns: £84,600 a week
He might have fallen out of favour at Manchester United but van Nistelrooy’s services are still much in demand. United splashed out £18m for him in 2001 and were rewarded with a staggering 80 goals in his first two seasons. His £6m personal fortune is boosted by a lucrative sportswear deal with Nike, yet off the pitch van Nistelrooy enjoys the quiet life. He married wife Leontien in a small church wedding in Holland in 2004.

8. Zinedine Zidane

Where he plays: Real Madrid and France

What he earns: £84,600 a week

Midfield playmaker Zidane was the architect of France’s 1998 World Cup triumph – and was amply rewarded for his efforts. Worth a reputed $19m, "Zizou" recently announced his retirement from football and this year’s tournament marks his last. His Galactico wage has been further boosted by a lucrative endorsement deal with Adidas and, in one of football’s more unusual tie-ups, a deal with Lego.

7. David Beckham

Where he plays: Real Madrid and England

What he earns: £84,600 a week

“Brand Beckham” shows no signs of fading with age – his handsome weekly wage is dwarfed compared to the £15m he earns every year through tie-ins with firms as diverse as Gillette, Pepsi and Adidas. It seems that last year’s tabloid scandals have done nothing to dent the lustre of the Beckham brand either. The Leytonstone boy was even named as one of Time magazine’s Top 100 most influential global icons.

6. Frank Lampard

Where he plays: Chelsea and England

What he earns: £94,000

Five of the six highest-earning footballers in the world are now contracted to English clubs – and no club has more financial muscle than Chelsea. Elegant midfielder Frank is one of world football’s most improved players - and has been rewarded with a series of hefty pay rises since joining the club in 2001. In 2005, Lampard came second to Ronaldinho in FIFA’s World Player of the Year poll and should feature prominently in England’s World Cup campaign. Lampard exploits his brand value more sparingly than many of his contemporaries, however, preferring the quiet life with Spanish fiancée Elen and daughter Luna.

5. Rio Ferdinand

Where he plays: Manchester United and England

What he earns: £94,000 a week

After his performances at the heart of the England defence during the 2002 World Cup, Manchester United paid Leeds United a massive £29m to secure Rio’s services. He’s now signed a bumper new contract for a reputed £94,000 a week. Had United met his original £120,000-a-week salary demand, however, he would have set yet another record by becoming the Premiership’s highest paid player.

4. Ronaldinho

Where he plays: Barcelona and Brazil

What he earns: £111,000 a week

The poor boy from the suburbs of Porto Alegre has transcended his origins to become world football’s most lauded player. Twice FIFA World Player of the Year, the Brazilian maestro recently extended his contract with Barcelona until 2010. His earning power outstrips even David Beckham’s with his six-figure weekly wage boosted by lucrative sponsorship deals with Nike, Pepsi and eight brands in Brazil. His annual earnings are reputedly some £15.8m, yet this superstar still retains some modesty: he recently confessed to Four Four Two magazine that he wasn’t even the best player at Barca, let alone the world. We beg to differ.

3. Thierry Henry

Where he plays: Arsenal and France

What he earns: £112,000

It seems it pays to be loyal – this summer saw Henry resist the charms of Spanish giants Barcelona to stay in his adopted Highbury home. This devotion saw his pay packet increase to a staggering £112,000-a-week – yet City experts claim his worth to Arsenal far exceeds this sum, as he could have left the club for nothing in 2007. Henry is loved far beyond North London and he’s cashed in on this public affection with an endorsement portfolio only rivalled by David Beckham. Henry has deals with Coke, Konami, Nike, Renault and regularly writes for The Sun newspaper.

2. Michael Ballack

Where he plays: Chelsea and Germany

What he earns: £121,000

As a young boy Ballack earned money collecting waste paper and bottles in KarlMarxStadt in the former East Germany. Now, things are rather different - the midfield dynamo left former club Bayern Munich on a free transfer – meaning he could sell his services to the highest bidder. Ballack’s basic £121,000 a week salary takes him to within £30,000 a week of the US’s best-paid sportsman, NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. And this huge sum doesn’t include his domestic endorsements with Sony, McDonalds and Adidas.

1. Andriy Shevchenko

Where he plays: Chelsea and Ukraine

What he earns: £130,000

Roman Abramovich’s coffers took a sizable dent – even by his standards – with the signing of the Ukrainian superstar. Shevchenko is perhaps football’s deadliest marksman – his Champions League strike-rate of 53 goals in 94 games is unrivalled. Yet quality costs. The reputed £31m Chelsea paid to AC Milan this month for his services smashes the previous British transfer record of £29m for Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand – and that’s before wages of £130,000 a week. The four-year deal is expected to cost the West London club some £60m in total.

Tackled By The Red Devil at 12:04 AM,
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