 Beckham is the clear leader in the money stakes |
England captain David Beckham is the highest paid footballer in the world, earning around �15m last year. According to France Football magazine, Real Madrid paid him around �4.4m, including bonuses, while his off-field endorsements made up the remainder.
Real's Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane are next on the list, while Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen is the Premiership's best paid player.
Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson is the highest earning manager.
 | FOOTBALL'S RICH LIST David Beckham (�15m) Ronaldo (�11m) Zinedine Zidane (�9.4m) Michael Owen (�6.1m) Sir Alex Ferguson (�5.8m) Sven-Goran Eriksson (�3.7m) Fabio Capello (�2.8m) Arsene Wenger (�2.3m) |
The amount picked up by Sir Alex is likely to raise the most eyebrows. Sven-Goran Eriksson was thought to have the most lucrative managerial contract in England.
But, with an income of �5.8m, Ferguson earned a clear �2m more than the England coach and well over twice the amount of his rival at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger.
The figures also show that salaries of top players continue to soar even though the game has been beset by financial problems in the last few years.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version