Cash and Championships: 8 of world's top 20 players in Champions League final
May 4th 2008 15:54
A recent Forbes report on the world's best-paid footballers featured a number of names that should be familiar to any fan of the UEFA Champions League. After all, eight of the 20 players listed as the most highly compensated in the world will be in the final, and an amazing 12 of 20 play for clubs that reached this year's semi-finals.
Of the eight who will be vying for European glory in the final in Moscow, the advantage goes to Chelsea players. Five of them have made the globe-besting list to just three for Manchester United. This won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who knows about Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's penchant for paying whatever it takes to draw the world's premier players. One has to imagine that if the list were expanded to include the world's top 40, the entire Chelsea line-up might appear.
However, as Manchester United were recently crowned the most valuable club in the world by an earlier Forbes report, it's fair to say that money will have more than a little to do with the success of either club in the Champions League final.
Here's the list from Forbes:
20. Oliver Kahn, Bayern Munich, $10.3 million
19. Raul Gonzalez Blanco, Real Madrid, $10.9 million
18. Lionel Messi, Barcelona, $11.9 million
17. Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United, $12.5 million
16. Didier Drogba, Chelsea, $13.4 million
15. Alessandro del Piero, Juventus, $14.3 million
14. Frank Lampard, Chelsea, $14.8 million
13. Michael Ballack, Chelsea, $16 million
12. Francesco Totti, AS Roma, $16.2 million
11. Wayne Rooney, Manchester United, $16.3 million
10. John Terry, Chelsea, $17 million
9. Steven Gerrard, Liverpool, $17.1 million
8. Andriy Shevchenko, Chelsea, $17.5 million
7. Fabio Cannavaro, Real Madrid, $17.5 million
6. Kaka, AC Milan, $17.7 million
5. Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, $18.5 million
4. Ronaldo, AC Milan, $21.2 million
3. Thierry Henry, Barcelona, $25.1 million
2. Ronaldinho, Barcelona, $32.6 million
1. David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy, $48.9 million
Of the eight who will be vying for European glory in the final in Moscow, the advantage goes to Chelsea players. Five of them have made the globe-besting list to just three for Manchester United. This won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who knows about Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's penchant for paying whatever it takes to draw the world's premier players. One has to imagine that if the list were expanded to include the world's top 40, the entire Chelsea line-up might appear.
However, as Manchester United were recently crowned the most valuable club in the world by an earlier Forbes report, it's fair to say that money will have more than a little to do with the success of either club in the Champions League final.
Here's the list from Forbes:
20. Oliver Kahn, Bayern Munich, $10.3 million
19. Raul Gonzalez Blanco, Real Madrid, $10.9 million
18. Lionel Messi, Barcelona, $11.9 million
17. Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United, $12.5 million
16. Didier Drogba, Chelsea, $13.4 million
14. Frank Lampard, Chelsea, $14.8 million
13. Michael Ballack, Chelsea, $16 million
12. Francesco Totti, AS Roma, $16.2 million
11. Wayne Rooney, Manchester United, $16.3 million
10. John Terry, Chelsea, $17 million
9. Steven Gerrard, Liverpool, $17.1 million
8. Andriy Shevchenko, Chelsea, $17.5 million
7. Fabio Cannavaro, Real Madrid, $17.5 million
6. Kaka, AC Milan, $17.7 million
5. Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, $18.5 million
4. Ronaldo, AC Milan, $21.2 million
3. Thierry Henry, Barcelona, $25.1 million
2. Ronaldinho, Barcelona, $32.6 million
1. David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy, $48.9 million
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