Footballers’ salaries are as interesting to sports fans as athletes’ activities. World football stars receive millions of dollars in royalties, and regularly. They can afford everything: a fancy house, beautiful women, a prestigious fleet of cars.
It is no secret that athletes themselves rarely share their earnings openly. But clubs periodically publish data on how much their stars earn, attracting the attention of potential players and investors. It is known that a footballer’s salary does not only consist of what the football club pays. Other types of earnings are also included in the income.
What is a football player’s salary composed of?
When investigating the salary in football, 2 groups of earnings are taken into account – the game and the advertisement. The first category includes all earnings related to the sporting activities of the club member. It is his playing for the team and/or the national team. If a player plays for a football club and is called up to the national team, he will receive a fee from both his club and the national federation.
Many professional bettors take this parameter into account in their predictions. For instance, Indian horse racing tips suggest betting on tournaments with good prize money, where underdogs have more motivation.
Football Club Salary
When playing for a team in a league of any nation, the players try to show their best. His future career in the league and his chance of being called up to the national team depending on how well the player performs.
A good player’s performance is proportional to his high salary. What is the salary of a player at your club?
- Fixed income is the salary during the year. It is customary to pay the player for every week he plays for the team. It does not matter if the player was on the field or sitting on the bench – the contracted salary will be paid.
- Bonuses for productive play. Bonuses for goals, assists, stopping the opponents, scoring a standard, or other things that brought the team a result in a particular match and/or tournament.
- Club management bonuses. These are less common than standard bonuses. And they are often given independently of specific achievements. For example the most responsible players and those who have played a great number of matches for the club – the team veterans. These bonuses are distributed personally by the management.
- Other bonuses, e.g. from sponsors. Football teams and tournaments exist largely due to funds that members of management or patrons invest in them. Many influential sponsors have their favorites on the team that they can encourage even without any serious help to their football club.
The challenge for a player is to make the team interested in prolonging his contract. To do that the forwards need to score regularly and the defenders need to keep the opponents out of the net.
The quality of play is reflected in earnings. Newcomers, who haven’t yet proven themselves, are known to be paid much less than stars or veterans – those whose service to the team cannot be denied. Therefore, if you want to earn a higher bonus, you need to be as impressive as possible in every match, marking yourself on the pitch by your performance and helping the club.
What counts towards the bonus?
The number of matches played on the pitch. Especially in your squad. The substitutes also contribute when needed. But the sum of their bonuses is a few times less than the bonuses paid to the players who have spent almost the whole match on the pitch.
Effective moments. It is important not only to be in the starting lineup but also to help the team. You don’t need to have any supernatural abilities – it’s enough to do the things your coach has instructed you to do. This includes scoring a goal, minimizing the score difference, keeping the goal from the opponents’ attack, getting out of the group, and other things, including the long-term settings.
“Usefulness” on a social level. Some players inspire the team. They may not bring concrete results in the course of a match, but they stimulate other players by helping them morally. Including in the locker room, in training, or team-building events. Usually, the coach gives bonuses to these players. Often the most useful and motivating player’s salary is based on the bonuses they have earned for their informal assistance to the rest of the squad.
Adherence to the regime. Some talented players refuse to follow simple routines. They’re late to training, they don’t stick to their diet, and they don’t talk freely to journalists. These players are often stripped of their bonuses, even if they perform well. And the reason for this is a derailment because this kind of behavior demotivates others.
The players’ salaries are mentioned in the documents. Often players “tolerate” strict coaching or a move to another country, only to then see a “round” sum in their account. But that is not the only way they earn money.
Earnings from advertising
A footballer’s salary may be small, as opposed to advertising fees. But usually, both amounts are impressive. The reason is that the advertisers prefer to work only with the stars. And such players get paid a lot.
Usually, the stars of the sport become participants in the following advertising campaigns:
- sportswear and footwear, accessories for an active lifestyle;
- “masculine” items of clothing and cosmetics – luxury watches, shampoos, shower gels;
- expensive cars;
- popular drinks and food;
- restaurants and cafes;
- sports nutrition;
- betting shops;
Government competitions and tournaments. In this case, the sports ministry of the region or country is the sponsor of the advertisement.
The challenge for the player is to participate in the kind of publicity that will not negatively affect the team’s reputation. Therefore many players refuse to promote dubious companies or services even if they are offered a generous fee.
Earn money for the national team
Playing for the national team is a separate earning opportunity for players, who perform well for their club and therefore get called up to defend their country’s honor in the international arena. The fees for national team matches are usually many times lower than commercial team salaries. But the prestige of playing is many times greater.
In addition, the national team is paid by the national football federation. It also provides performance bonuses. They are usually given to the most valuable players in the tournament. For example, the striker who, at the most crucial moment, brings the national team to victory has led his club to the playoffs. Or the goalkeeper who saved a penalty kick in extra time.
Playing for the national team attracts players not only from a financial point of view. Performance in international competitions is a chance for a player to be noticed by managers and coaches of famous European clubs. Playing for the favorite team in a well-known championship is something every football player dreams of.
Earnings from other projects
Many footballers invest their earnings in the business. And it brings them additional income. Most athletes choose activities that are compatible with their core business. They open sports schools bearing their names, launch a clothing line (such as Cristiano Ronaldo), or pursue other activities that interest them or that they are good at.
Some footballers simply invest their available funds in real estate – buying expensive houses, commercial buildings, and hotels, whose value increases every year. Others are involved in collecting cars, rare models, or exclusive variants, and also benefit from the subsequent resale of their property, because the price of such goods is always rising.
Post-career salaries
Some players manage to combine their careers and coaching. This usually happens in teams from the second and lower divisions, when the management does not have the opportunity to hire both an experienced coach and talented players. But even in that case, it is very rare to have an acting coach.
Usually, the salary of a player in coaching starts after his career as a player. But not everyone aspires to manage a team. Some players prefer to change part of their career after their playing career. For example, to become football analysts or referees. Footballers are often invited as additional match commentators and some become correspondents and talk show hosts.
