Manchester United legends, Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville, recently discussed their past contracts on The Overlap. The revelation of Rooney's most lucrative contract left Neville and fans alike stunned.
Footballers earning astronomical sums of money is a well-known fact among sports enthusiasts. Currently, Manchester City forward Erling Haaland holds the title for the highest-paid player in world football. He signed a nine-and-a-half-year deal with the club in January, worth an astounding £875,000 per week or £45 million per year.
The average Premier League wage falls between £60,000 and £67,000 per week or £3.1 to £3.5 million per year according to Statista’s data. This means that an average top-flight footballer earns more in one week than what an average UK employee makes in a year - around £37,000 as reported by ONS. These figures are expected to continue rising over time but it begs the question - how much did past superstars earn?
Past superstars' earnings unveiled
In Thursday’s (November 20) episode of The Overlap show hosted by Gary Neville; Roy Keane, Neville himself and Rooney revealed information about their salaries. Neville disclosed that he finished his career at United earning "£2.3 million in 2011". Jamie Carragher chimed into this conversation stating that he believed Neville was underpaid considering his contributions to the team. Keane's earnings were also discussed with revelations showing that he earned approximately "£2.75 million per year between 2000 and 2003".
However, it was Rooney’s salary disclosure that truly shocked everyone involved. When asked about his biggest contract at United by Neville; Rooney casually responded: “The biggest I’ve been on is about £17 million a year.” This revelation left Neville joking that he should have been paid more, a sentiment agreed upon by Keane.
Rooney's salary, divided across 52 weeks, amounts to an impressive £326,923 per week. This would place Rooney as United’s second-highest paid player in the current squad behind Casemiro - the Brazilian reportedly earns £350,000 per week or £18.2 million per year. When compared to the rest of the league, Rooney would still rank as the Premier League’s fifth top earner behind Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Casemiro and Virgil van Dijk.
Endorsements boosting incomes
It's important to note that these players also supplement their incomes with numerous endorsements. For instance; Rooney was reportedly paid £1 million per year by Nike to wear their boots during his career according to The Independent.
While footballers' salaries continue rising at an unprecedented rate - it's clear that past superstars like Wayne Rooney were already earning sums that are comparable even today. These revelations provide fascinating insights into how much our favourite football legends earned during their prime years.
