1- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/POR): 12 M€
2- Wayne Rooney (Manchester United/ING): 11,5 M€
3- Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona/ARG): 11 M€
4- Yaya Touré (Manchester City/CMA): 10,8 M€
5- Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milán/ITA): 10,5 M€
6- Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Múnich/ALE): 9,7 M€
7- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Milan AC/SUE): 9 M€
7- Kaká (Real Madrid/BRA): 9 M€
7- John Terry (Chelsea/ING): 9 M€
10- Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City/TOG): 8,4 M€
11- Franck Ribéry (Bayern Múnich/FRA): 8 M€
12- Fernando Torres (Liverpool/ESP): 7,8 M€
13- Steven Gerrard (Liverpool/ING): 7,6 M€
13- Carlos Tevez (Manchester City/ARG): 7,6 M€
15- Frank Lampard (Chelsea/ING): 7,57 M€
16- Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona/ESP): 7,5 M€
17- Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona/ESP): 7 M€
18- Didier Drogba (Chelsea/CMA): 6,5 M€
18- Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United/ING): 6,5 M€
20- Andrea Pirlo (Milan AC/ITA): 6 M€
20- David Villa (FC Barcelona/ESP): 6 M€
20- Iker Casillas (Real Madrid/ESP): 6 M€
20- Frédéric Kanouté (FC Sevilla/MAL): 6 M€
20- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/FRA): 6 M€
20- Gigi Buffon (Juventus/ITA): 6 M€
26- Patrick Vieira (Manchester City/FRA): 5,72 M€
27- Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milán/HOL): 5,5 M€
27- Garreth Barry (Manchester City/ING): 5,5 M€
27- Arjen Robben (Bayern Múnich/HOL): 5,5 M€
30- Asley Cole (Chelsea/ING): 5,41 M€
31- Joe Cole (Liverpool/ING): 5,2 M€
32- Diego Milito (Inter Milán/ARG): 5 M€
32- David Silva (Manchester City/ESP): 5 M€
32- Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona/ESP): 5 M€
32- Kolo Touré (Manchester City/CMA): 5 M€
32- Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid/ARG): 5 M€
37- Francesco Totti (Roma/ITA): 4,9 M€
38- Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United/BUL): 4,87 M€
39- Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal/RUS): 4,87 M€
40- Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea/FRA): 4,8 M€
40- Yoann Gourcuff (Lyon/FRA): 4,8 M€
40- Paul Scholes (Manchester United/ING): 4,8 M€
42- Daniele de Rossi (Roma/ITA): 4,6 M€
42- Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid/ESP): 4,6 M€
42- Jamie Carragher (Liverpool/ING): 4,6 M€
42- Ryan Giggs (Manchester United/GAL): 4,6 M€
47- Julio Cesar (Inter Milan/BRA): 4,5 M€
47- Diego Forlan (Atlético Madrid/URU): 4,5 M€
47- Alessandro Nesta (Milan/ITA): 4,5 M€
47- Gabriel Heinze (Marseilla/ARG): 4,5 M€
+12
dena
Jamie
Zzonked
Walcott
Theo Filippo
Grenade
fergiesrednose
Mal
Torresxvilla
Cadbury
menalawyerguy
Scuba Steve
16 posters
50 Highest Paid Players in the World
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Rooney gets paid more than Messi? 
Damn, Rooney has a good agent.
Also what the fuck? Forlan gets paid less than Carragher, Joe Cole, Barry ect? Damn.
Damn, Rooney has a good agent.
Also what the fuck? Forlan gets paid less than Carragher, Joe Cole, Barry ect? Damn.
Scuba Steve-
- Posts : 6682
Age : 37
Just saw this on Twitter 
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Is this 100 percent or based on reports?
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English players cost more in everything it looks like.BigPoppaSmurf wrote:Rooney gets paid more than Messi?
Damn, Rooney has a good agent.
Also what the fuck? Forlan gets paid less than Carragher, Joe Cole, Barry ect? Damn.
menalawyerguy-
- Posts : 6547
Age : 111
Rooney costs his team more, but I doubt he makes more after-tax pounds.
Although, maybe he does. There are all kinds of tax havens and loopholes he can exploit.
Although, maybe he does. There are all kinds of tax havens and loopholes he can exploit.
Last edited by menalawyerguy on Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Nah highly doubt he takes home more than Messi, he loses a lot.menalawyerguy wrote:Rooney costs his team more, but I doubt he makes more after-tax dollars.
Although, maybe he does. There are all kinds of tax havens and loopholes he can exploit.
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Joe Cole :lmao:
menalawyerguy-
- Posts : 6547
Age : 111
kyro7 wrote:Nah highly doubt he takes home more than Messi, he loses a lot.menalawyerguy wrote:Rooney costs his team more, but I doubt he makes more after-tax dollars.
Although, maybe he does. There are all kinds of tax havens and loopholes he can exploit.
I read an article a few weeks ago that claims his effective income tax rate is about 2% because he has two contracts with Man Utd: one for his actual playing wages, where the cash goes directly to him; and another for his image rights, which goes to an offshore company in the Caymans or British Virgin Islands that he owns entirely. That's not taxable. The dividends he would earn from that company would be taxable. So instead of the company issuing him dividends, it makes interest-free "loans" to him that are not considered income under British law. Thus, that cash is tax free.
Pretty sweet.
Kinda slimey too. But lots of players do it.
menalawyerguy-
- Posts : 6547
Age : 111
lol @ everyone who makes more than Xavi, save Messi and Ronaldo.
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4 Liverpool players.
Cadbury-
- Posts : 23487
Age : 31
Location : Blackpool
Supports : Not Kenny.
Not enough. Give them more
Torresxvilla-
- Posts : 893
Heinze/Carragher/Barry/Kanoute/Joe Cole? 
Cesc isn't on the list.
Cesc isn't on the list.
Mal-
- Posts : 31043
Age : 34
One Arsenal player. 
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Giggs and Scholes should be earning more! 
fergiesrednose-
- Posts : 1332
Location : Republic of Manchester
all the players in the premiership pay WAY more tax than the rest of europe. The spanish contingent pay less tax and there are also loopholes. Overseas players can get a 15 per cent saving of taxing by going to Spain rather than England.
Higher tax payers -
UK - 40% rising to 50% tax (april this year), plus higher national insurance. (no other country has to pay this)
Spain - 27% (plus numerous loop holes)
Russia - 13%
In spain though they will be introducing new tax reforms to close all loopholes and increase the higher tax bracket. The UK though will be less attractive to overseas players for the foreseeable future.
Higher tax payers -
UK - 40% rising to 50% tax (april this year), plus higher national insurance. (no other country has to pay this)
Spain - 27% (plus numerous loop holes)
Russia - 13%
In spain though they will be introducing new tax reforms to close all loopholes and increase the higher tax bracket. The UK though will be less attractive to overseas players for the foreseeable future.
menalawyerguy-
- Posts : 6547
Age : 111
Depends...if the contents of this article are to be believed.
How Premiership players minimize their tax obligations
Wayne Rooney and other soccer stars dodge millions in tax - through a 2% loophole rate.
Rooney legally saved £598,000 and Gareth Barry £136,000 by funnelling wages into private firms and then paying themselves at super-low tax.
Labour's Lord Hattersley raged: "Fans are entitled to be aggrieved."
Tax loophole star Wayne Rooney faced a £623,000 bill on a slice of his earnings – but coughed up just £25,000.
The Man United idol, 25, paid himself £1.6million through his image rights firm, incurring a measly 2% tax – even though the top rate was then 40%.
England team-mate Gareth Barry, 29, paid just £6,000 tax on £373,000 when he might have been hit by a £142,000 Inland Revenue bill.
They are among dozens of super-rich footballers who have parts of their wages paid into image rights companies.
Some then pay themselves from the firms at just 2% tax as they are deemed directors’ loans – avoiding the current 50% top rate.
The scheme is legal but will be a kick in the teeth for millions of ordinary supporters who pay tax at normal rates. Finance expert Peter Fairchild explained: “In tax terms, taking a director’s loan from an image rights company is very, very efficient.
“If the player wants to put £100,000 in his hand he can do so and only pay around £2,000 tax.
“Consequently, a lot of players have followed this advice.”
The loans can be repaid in the future, when the 50% rate may have been cut.
The star’s firm then writes off the borrowing so the cash is treated as earnings and taxed at the new lower top rate.
But some players may instead fold their image firms to avoid tax completely.
Apart from the 2% tax ruse, other terrace favourites use image rights so they legally pay just 28% on earnings.
They are said to include England household names Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Theo Walcott, David James and Michael Owen.
Newcastle goal hero Andy Carroll, Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere and Rooney’s Old Trafford team-mate Darren Fletcher are believed to be among others.
The taxman is now probing the expensive loophole. But it makes a mockery of Chancellor George Osborne’s claim that the country is “all in this together” as hard-working families are battered by the deficit crisis.
Last year’s hike in the top tax bracket to 50% saw several footballers hurriedly set up image companies to handle their merchandising income.
Many now have two contracts with their club, one for playing and the other for image rights.
PFA players’ union supremo Gordon Taylor defended the scheme and said only a few top names had such lucrative deals.
He insisted: “Footballers have a limited career and it is up to them and their advisers to make their earnings as tax-efficient as possible. A majority of players are on Pay As You Earn and are paying the 50% top rate of tax with National Insurance on top of that.
“But a few star players do have image rights deals where they get money for shirts sold with their names on the back and the like.
“These aren’t subject to PAYE. But there is nothing illegal and they are all working to the law.”
This is not the first time the taxman has investigated how soccer stars exploit merchandising earnings to slash taxes.
But it lost a landmark case in 2000 when Arsenal’s David Platt and Dennis Bergkamp successfully argued that image rights cash paid into offshore accounts was for pension funds. A Rooney aide said his firms were legitimate and followed both the letter and the spirit of the law.
How Premiership players minimize their tax obligations
Wayne Rooney and other soccer stars dodge millions in tax - through a 2% loophole rate.
Rooney legally saved £598,000 and Gareth Barry £136,000 by funnelling wages into private firms and then paying themselves at super-low tax.
Labour's Lord Hattersley raged: "Fans are entitled to be aggrieved."
Tax loophole star Wayne Rooney faced a £623,000 bill on a slice of his earnings – but coughed up just £25,000.
The Man United idol, 25, paid himself £1.6million through his image rights firm, incurring a measly 2% tax – even though the top rate was then 40%.
England team-mate Gareth Barry, 29, paid just £6,000 tax on £373,000 when he might have been hit by a £142,000 Inland Revenue bill.
They are among dozens of super-rich footballers who have parts of their wages paid into image rights companies.
Some then pay themselves from the firms at just 2% tax as they are deemed directors’ loans – avoiding the current 50% top rate.
The scheme is legal but will be a kick in the teeth for millions of ordinary supporters who pay tax at normal rates. Finance expert Peter Fairchild explained: “In tax terms, taking a director’s loan from an image rights company is very, very efficient.
“If the player wants to put £100,000 in his hand he can do so and only pay around £2,000 tax.
“Consequently, a lot of players have followed this advice.”
The loans can be repaid in the future, when the 50% rate may have been cut.
The star’s firm then writes off the borrowing so the cash is treated as earnings and taxed at the new lower top rate.
But some players may instead fold their image firms to avoid tax completely.
Apart from the 2% tax ruse, other terrace favourites use image rights so they legally pay just 28% on earnings.
They are said to include England household names Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Theo Walcott, David James and Michael Owen.
Newcastle goal hero Andy Carroll, Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere and Rooney’s Old Trafford team-mate Darren Fletcher are believed to be among others.
The taxman is now probing the expensive loophole. But it makes a mockery of Chancellor George Osborne’s claim that the country is “all in this together” as hard-working families are battered by the deficit crisis.
Last year’s hike in the top tax bracket to 50% saw several footballers hurriedly set up image companies to handle their merchandising income.
Many now have two contracts with their club, one for playing and the other for image rights.
PFA players’ union supremo Gordon Taylor defended the scheme and said only a few top names had such lucrative deals.
He insisted: “Footballers have a limited career and it is up to them and their advisers to make their earnings as tax-efficient as possible. A majority of players are on Pay As You Earn and are paying the 50% top rate of tax with National Insurance on top of that.
“But a few star players do have image rights deals where they get money for shirts sold with their names on the back and the like.
“These aren’t subject to PAYE. But there is nothing illegal and they are all working to the law.”
This is not the first time the taxman has investigated how soccer stars exploit merchandising earnings to slash taxes.
But it lost a landmark case in 2000 when Arsenal’s David Platt and Dennis Bergkamp successfully argued that image rights cash paid into offshore accounts was for pension funds. A Rooney aide said his firms were legitimate and followed both the letter and the spirit of the law.
fergiesrednose-
- Posts : 1332
Location : Republic of Manchester
im not reading all that no offence but thats all image rights though aint it?
menalawyerguy-
- Posts : 6547
Age : 111
Yes, but if half of your contract payments are dedicated to services rendered (paid directly to the player and taxed under the progressive tax regime, topping out at 40%) and the other half is dedicated to image rights (payable to a player's offshore tax haven, ultimately taxed at a flat 2%), then the overall effective income tax rate comes down to about 21% (less, considering the income taxes are a progressive tax. Even if you are in the 40% tax bracket, not every pound you earn is taxed at 40%).
Also, let's keep in mind that for the players near the top of that list, their team wages don't constitute the bulk of their earnings. The higher profile players earn way more from endorsement contracts than they do from their clubs. And I'd bet that their endorsement earnings are paid to their tax havens as well.
Also, let's keep in mind that for the players near the top of that list, their team wages don't constitute the bulk of their earnings. The higher profile players earn way more from endorsement contracts than they do from their clubs. And I'd bet that their endorsement earnings are paid to their tax havens as well.
fergiesrednose-
- Posts : 1332
Location : Republic of Manchester
to be fair all large companies get around tax rules by paying into offshore accounts. My pops for example was partly paid in company shares, sold instantly and the income into a guernsey bank account. Now I'm sure ethically its wrong but not illegal.
menalawyerguy-
- Posts : 6547
Age : 111
It's certainly legal. And I don't blame them. I'd do the same thing if I was them, as long as there's no PR backlash.
Grenade-
- Formerly known as : grenade187
Posts : 9113
Age : 43
10- Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City/TOG): 8,4 M€
13- Carlos Tevez (Manchester City/ARG): 7,6 M€
Lol
Theo Filippo-
- Formerly known as : Filippo Inzaghi
Posts : 21636
Age : 30
i swear fabregas gets 120k a week & arshavin 80k a week how does that work with russian bollox getting more
Walcott-
- Posts : 14547
Location : at the stewards with Lewis Hamilton.
Supports : Arsenal & Lewis Hamilton.
10- Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City/TOG): 8,4 M€
All that money for a wank striker.
All that money for a wank striker.
Zzonked-
- Posts : 24290
Age : 32
Where is this list from?
City themselves actually said Tevez was the highest paid player at the club, but he ranks below Toure and Ade there, so I would question the validity of that list.
Edit: Proof
http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Team-news/2010/December/Carlos-Tevez-A-statement
City themselves actually said Tevez was the highest paid player at the club, but he ranks below Toure and Ade there, so I would question the validity of that list.
Edit: Proof
Carlos' current five-year contract has three-and-a-half years to run and he is the highest paid player at the Manchester City Football Club.
http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Team-news/2010/December/Carlos-Tevez-A-statement
menalawyerguy-
- Posts : 6547
Age : 111
Bendtner should be making what the entire top 50 makes combined.
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Lol, still want Arshavin at the club?Mal wrote:One Arsenal player.
Jamie-
- Posts : 24047
Age : 63
Location : Thiago
Supports : That Catalan club
I despair at seeing Carragher and Cole on that list.
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I don't think it is true. Like the Man City fan posted, it has been confirmed by the club that Tevez earns the most.
Guest- Guest
arshavin was earning mroe salary in zenit than in arsenal
