Roman Abramovich MUST BE A FOOL !!!!!, DAVID BECHAM MUST GO TO HELL THE @#$% MAN IS JUST TOO STINGY AS IF HE IS BEGGING FOR MONEY OR HE COOKS THE MONEY AS FOOD @#$% YOU BECKS , I LOVE YOU RYAN GIGGS FOR THE DONATION LAST WEEK TO THE VICTIME OF AIDS AND CANCERS

I THINK PEOPLE WHO ARE SAD ENOUGH TO WRITE IN JUST TO CORRECT SOMEONE ELSES SPELLING MISTAKES ARE CLOWNS AND IN A SAD WAY THINK THEMSELVES BETTER THAN THE NEXT MAN.

JACOBHARRIS999 YOU ARE SO FAR AWAY FROM THE REALITY OF TODAY, HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT A FOOTBALLER GETS PAID LIKE THEY DO BECAUSE THEY RETIRE EARLY, THEY COULD BE PAID 100K A YEAR AND RETIRE QUITE COMFORTABLY AT 35 SO YOU CAN'T JUSTIFY A PLAYER ON 25-120K A WEEK, WHAT YOU ARE SAYING IS TOTAL **%^&£$. YOU ARE A T%!T.

How about Brucie then? don't you think he deserves a knighthood, He is as good at entertaining as Manchester United but he doesn't get paid £1000,000 a week and I think he should the way he dances and tells really funny jokes, he makes me laugh as much as some of the comments on this page.

Footballers have a relatively short footballing life so good luck to them if they earn lots of money. If you don't like paying their wages don't go to watch them. The wages would soon go down then!

I THINK IT IS A DISGRACE THE AMOUNT FOOTBALLERS GET PAID. HOW CAN A FOOTBALLER BE PAID UPTO 50 TIMES MORE THAN SOMEONE WITH A REAL JOB SUCH AS A DOCTOR, PARAMEDIC ETC. THESE OVERPAID PARASITES THAT ARE FOOTBALLERS ARE A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS WRONG WITH SOCIETY TODAY, THEY ARE ALL A BUNCH OF PREMADDONAS, EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM.

Ronaldo is a bit of a pauper isn't he?

its quite simple sport, and film are two multi million pound industries. (they are very lucrative) it is only right for those who attract such high levels of revenue, i.e, the sports stars and film stars, to see the money.

IF THEY DID NOT GET SUCH HIGH WAGES, IT WOULD SIMPLY END IN THE HANDS OF FAT CATS BEHIND THE SCENES.

to tasdeon you are wrong about politiicians milking the systmem, they only get paid about £56000 a year, which is less than most footballers get a week. and anyway

1 footballers only can work untill 35 at the best, so they have to be paid a salary which reflects their early retirement age.
2 the top class footballers, i.e. ronaldo, torres, drogba, etc are paid high wages as this reflects the fact that they are the best in the world at what they do.
3 the skill of the footballers earns their club more money than the cost of the total wage bill, in prize money and more immportantly advertisement. surely its only right for the footballers to get a proportion of this
4 footballers have no other career to fall back on when they retire as they have missed out on education to play sport
5 with regard to actors, it is similair, a film with say ray winstone will raise alot more money in advertising and ticket sales than one with a smaller name, and therefore it is only fair that they pay him a wage which reflects this.

BUT i totally agree with you in that bankers are paid too much. it is more than a coincidence that the bankers (who are paid out of our money, as banks have no other significant income) have received huge salaries throughout an era when the banks have lost our money. They have in effect given our savings, pension funds, insurance premiums, to their employees as bonus'.

It's seems to me that most of the readers of these news blogs are Africans, however as noted by Lesterobrien the title says Premier league Football Rich list and not the African nations cup rich list, thus they have no obligations to solve the starvation problems in a continent with so much mineral resources yet poverty stricken due to the decisions made by those in the helm of affairs.

So try to appreciate them for the entertainment value rather than the obligatory value you think they owe the African society.

Ill tell you whats disgusting about this article - the people who have used their comments on here to defend the amount of money these players earn a WEEK. Look we're not stupid, the players get offered contracts worth, in some cases hundreds of thousands of pounds a week. Thats a week. Yes a week. Yet how many thousands of hard up families have had their homes repossessed over these last few months? How dare you suggest we have no right to feel sick when we look at the above. Whats wrong with you people? How do you feel some impoverished council estate dwelling individual trying to find his/her way through life will feel knowing that if only they had been lucky enough to be ace at sport they too could have a luxurious life? I don't blame the players - as you have correctly said they get offered the money so why shouldn't they take it? I think thats my problem. You never hear any of them say they feel bad at the amount of money they earn - never once do you hear that. So obviously all the adulation they get as footy stars have brainwashed them into believing somehow its justified and not obscene. Wheres the love underneath all this greed? You occasionally here stories of Rooney donating tons to worthy charities or some other high profile player, i only hope all footballers earning stupid money (i mean even £10k a week is a huge amount) have clean conciences regarding how they chose to help out those alot less fortunate than themselves. Why they @#$% should we be noble and applaud them for 'deserving' their money whilst we scratch around watching them miss drugs tests and act, genrally, like the arrogant overpaid individuals they are? Anyone stupid enough to defend them have obviously never had to struggle in life - well @#$% good for you.

Supply and demand!! --- Good call by calverleyantiques1.Do not understand the relevance in regards to African representation, the issue arises not from race but inflated monies, and whilst the support is where it stands presently the wages will continue to be demanded by agents.

Stanley Mathews had a day job to keep afloat. I did it for nothing as I enjoyed it. I coached lots of people who just enjoyed it also. The whole thing is sad. I always rated Micheal Owen as a no-hoper who was fed the ball and kicked it towards the goal. He was bulled up by the press - did they get a cut I ask?

D CROSLAND , SO A DOCTOR SHOULD BE PAID ON WHAT HE DOES OR A NURSE OR FIRFIGHTER OR SOLDIERS/ ?,FILM STARS AND FOOTBALLERS AND ALL OTHER SPORTS STARS HAVE BEEN MILKING THE SYSTEM , AS LIKE POLITICIANS AND BANKERS AND PEOPLE WORKING IN THE STOCK MARKET , THEY HAVE BECOME GREEDY WHEN IS ENOUGH ?? HENCE THE WORLD IS IN A DOWNHILL SPIRRAL WITH MONEY AND THESE GREEDY PARISITES STILL WANT MORE ,, COME ON DO ANYONE DESERVE 150,OOO A WWK LIKE ANY OF THOSE UP THE TOP THEY JUST WANT MORE , AND THE SPORT HAS NOT GOT ANY BETTER ? TV TRIES TO BUILD UP EVERYTHING TO GET MONEY FROM US TO PAYE THEM ,, LETS PAYE THE ONES WHO HELP US , YES GIVE MONEY TO THEM TO ENTERTAIN US BUT KEEP IT STEADY ,,ADVERTISING PAYES ALOT BUT WHO PAYES THE ADVERTISING ? WE DO IN HIGHER PRICES , SO COME ON THINK ABOUT IT , I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT BUT AGAIN WHEN IS ENOUGH ,,,,,,

Muteen or is it Mutton learn to spell, take a course paid for by tax payers money

You see?We all have to appreciate Rafa despite the minimum at his disposal,he can still manage with his average piad players and they are topping.

Its an unfair system we are brainwashed into. Entertaining the whole world doesnt warrant that amount of money, just like the fat cats that have screwed our financial system. no one works hard enough to earn 100,000 a week plus. I'm sure most on this forum would swap there jobs to do their favourite sport for a living for the same money. It stinks that anyone should be paid the amount they are.

YES THEY PAYE TAX BIG DEAL AS MOST PLAYERS COME FROM OVERSEAS SO EXEMPT FOR TAX FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND BECKHAM PLAYS ABROAD SO HE WAS CLEVER NOT TO GIVE IN THE COUNTRY THAT MADE HIM ,, I LOVE FOOTBALL AS ALL YOU ON HERE DO , BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT CRASH , AND LOSE MONEY SO PLAYERS WOULD LIVE ON A NORMAL SALARY LIKE MOST OF US DO ,,,, AGAIN ITS GREED ,

What about the major share holder of Sunderland AFC, Ellis Short? This american billionair is not on the list?

muteen.good point,but you know as much as anybody does,the fiddling in paliament,do public services get all the tax money.er dont think so...

HOW F****kin long has cheryl cole been a footballer