Why Isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo Earning More?
Why isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo earning more at Manchester? This is a question that we would like to explore a little further at Cristiano Ronaldo7.com.
According to Sports Illustrated… The top ten highest paid football (soccer) players, not including endorsements are:
1. Kaká (AC Milan): $14.9 million per year
2. Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona): $14.1 million
3. Frank Lampard (Chelsea): $13.5 million
4. John Terry (Chelsea): $13.5 million
5. Fernando Torres (Liverpool): $13.1 million
6. Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea): $12.9 million
7. Michael Ballack (Chelsea): $12.9 million
8. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United): $12.7 million
9. Thierry Henry (FC Barcelona): $12.7 million
10. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool): $12.7 million
Now lets look at other major sports and see where player salaries rank.
Highest paid baseball players 2007: source: wikipedia
1. Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees $ 27,708,525
2. Jason Giambi New York Yankees $ 23,428,571
3. Derek Jeter New York Yankees $ 21,600,000
4. Manny Ramírez Boston Red Sox $ 17,016,381
5. Todd Helton Colorado Rockies $ 16,600,000
6. Andy Pettitte New York Yankees $ 16,000,000
7. Bartolo Colón Los Angeles Angels $ 16,000,000
8. Jason Schmidt Los Angeles Dodgers $ 15,703,946
9. Jim Thome Chicago White Sox $ 15,666,667
10. Bobby Abreu New York Yankees $ 15,600,000
National Hockey League Top ten highest paid players: 2007/2008: source…
1. Daniel Briere (Philadelphia Flyers) $10 million
2. Scott Gomez (New York Rangers) $10 million
3. Thomas Vanek (Buffalo Sabres) $10 million
4. Jaromir Jagr (New York Rangers) $8.36 million
5. Kimmo Timonen (Philadelphia Flyers) $8 million
6. Brad Richards (Dallas Stars) $7.8 million
7. Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings) $7.6 million
8. Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins) $7.5 million
9. Patrik Elias (New Jersey Devils) $7.5 million
10.Ryan Smyth (Colorado Avalanche) $7.5 million
Highest Paid American Athletes: source: Sports Illustrated
1. Tiger Woods
Pro Golf
Last Year’s Rank: 1
$11,941,827 - Salary
$100,000,000 - endorsements
$111,941,827 - total
2. Oscar De La Hoya
Boxing
Last Year’s Rank: NR
$53,000,000 - salary
$2,000,000 - endorsements
$55,000,000 - total
3. Phil Mickelson
Pro Golf
Last Year’s Rank: 2
$4,256,505 - salary
$47,000,000 - endorsements
$51,256,505 - total
4. Shaquille O’Neal
Miami Heat (NBA)
Last Year’s Rank: 3
$20,000,000 - salary
$15,000,000 - endorsements
$35,000,000 - total
5. Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
Last Year’s Rank: 4
$17,718,750 - salary
$16,000,000 - endorsements
$33,718,750 - total
6. LeBron James
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Last Year’s Rank: 6
$5,828,089 - salary
$25,000,000 - endorsements
$30,828,089 - total
7. Kevin Garnett
Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA)
Last Year’s Rank: 11
$21,000,000 -salary
$8,000,000 - endorsements
$29,000,000 - total
8. Derek Jeter
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year’s Rank: 7
$22,000,000 - salary
$7,000,000 - endorsements
$29,000,000 - total
9. Alex Rodriguez
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year’s Rank: 8
$22,000,000 - salary
$6,000,000 - endorsements
$28,000,000 - total
10.Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Auto Racing
Last Year’s Rank: 9
$7,111,735 - salary
$20,000,000 - endorsements
$27,111,735 - total
Although Cristiano Ronaldo is the best footballer on the planet, his salary isn’t in the top 50 of highest paid athletes. Furthermore, his salary is only a few million higher than the highest paid hockey player, and although we love hockey, there is a limited global appeal to the sport.
Is Crisitiano Ronaldo’s alleged discontent at Manchester due to the fact that although he has been the best football player for the last couple of years, he earns less than players with 1/10 the talent? When footballers like Andriy Shevchenko earn more per year, what message is Manchester United sending Cristiano Ronaldo?
Cristiano Ronaldo is not only one of the best football players this year, but in our opinion, the best ever. Manchester United should be telling the world that they are willing to make him the highest paid footballer ever.
Madrid, on the other hand, have said that they believe he’s the best and are willing to pay him handsomely.
We want Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Manchester, but we also think it’s time for Manchester to rally behind Cristiano and pay him what he’s worth. Otherwise, Cristiano Ronaldo may be on his way to warmer climes.
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i absolutely agree, manutd should break their wage structure in this case. it would be completely justified as we are speaking of the world’s by far best player. manchester united are a massive, massive club with many supporters around the world, and it would be a disgrace in my opinion if they lose out to madrid.
chelsea for example reward their most valued player with higher wages (exception: sheva
) and in the way football is run like a business these days, it’s only fair. how else is, for example arsenal, going to keep fabregas or adebayor from leaving the club to more lucrative opportunities?
to be honest i was quite surprised he didn’t leave manutd 2-3yrs ago. interests from abroad was there. it made me think that he was different, not the typical youngster who gets distracted from the football and indulges himself in the fame and glamour of playing abroad.
the only fear i have, is that the life in madrid will make football a secondary priority, whereas in manchester football will always be the main focus.
i would truly be disappointed if he decides to opt for “sunny life in madrid” as opposed to “footballing career in manchester”
Omg! Cristiano Ronaldo is the best! Why they are paying him only few money?! It’s misrule…
I had no idea that he made so little in comparison to other players in his sport and players in other sports. The way I see it is.
Cristiano has mass appeal, not only on the pitch, but off it. He is highly marketable, and God only knows how much Manchester United are raking in on that merchandise. If Man. U. don’t smarten up, they will not only lose the best player on earth, but they will most likely lose many future championships and tons of cash.
Wake up Reds!
I totally agree.
Everyone keeps talking about ‘where is Cristiano’s loyalty to Manchester’, but I have to ask the question. Where is Manchester United’s loyalty to Cristiano? After all, it is a two way street, and without Cristiano on the team, United are not winning the double as they did the past year.
an added note:
I have read that United would prefer to sit Ronaldo for the remaining years of his contract.. What the hell is that about. They rather lose millions and possible great players just to be spiteful of someone who has done so much for the team.
I think that’s just wrong.
What kind of message is United sending future stars of the game, if they go ahead with their threats?
Being a big fan of Man. U., I have to agree with what most posters have said.
Cristiano deserves a new contract. One which pays him his worth.
I hate to say it, but I am at odds with the Reds on this.
I agree with Patrick
bloody time that someone spoke truth, instead of all this tabloid crap that’s been floating around the web these last few weeks.
I think Patrick hit the nail right on the head.
yaaa you are right….pay ronaldo 350000 pounds and his only for man utd.the team won 3 cups…i thinks its enough to pay him for at least 10 years….!!!
I never noticed that, i agree with patrick
thanks all.
John Dykes, You have raised excellent points. We too fear that moving to Madrid may not be Ronny’s best choice as far as advancing his career.
Tysia and John, we were thinking the same thing, why aren’t they paying him more? it makes no sense to us… and it leads into Patrick’s statement about Manchester not showing loyalty to Cristiano where it counts.
Until Manchester publicly states that they are willing to renegotiate Ronny’s contract and make him the highest paid footballer, they will continue to make an impression that they aren’t 100% convinced of his pedigree. Ronny has to make the choices that he thinks are best for him, regardless of what any one of us think….. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail and Manchester and Ronny come to an understanding.
Thanks admin for the article… first yes Ronaldo should earn more. and i think he will if he set with the bored and renew his contract he will earn more. I am not saying that because am united fan but a player like ronaldo who is only 23 yrs old can write a new history with Ronaldo… No one doesn’t want to play with Madrid.. but at least he stays till Fergie retires..at that time he will be 26. (so still u young to play with Madrid)!
thank you again.
your friend mido
No, he should not earn more. The fact that you are comparing Football/Soccer to top salaries in other sports is just ridiculous. Each sport has its own unique blend of fans and markets that they can appeal to, most of the top earners an the top fifty list get the a substantial chunk, if not the majority of their money from endorsements and business deals, something you should keep in mind before making an uncorrelated and unfounded comparison between what Ronny earns and what other top athletes earn.
As for why he shouldnt get more money, you have to look at what Manchester United did/does for him. After working extensively with Ronaldo Sir Alex Ferguson has transformed our dear Ronny from a mediocre, overly emotional teen to a highly competent, highly skilled footballer. In addition to helping him become the best, Ronaldo preforms so well at Man Utd because of the structure that Ferguson has built, with many top names/performers as Rooney, Tevez, Giggs, etc to take pressure and attention off of Ronaldo I dare say he would not have nearly as many goals without the assistance of the all-star lineup.
I think that Ronaldo owes it to United to play hard and not cause disruptions over a few more million that he could be making, its a disgraceful and shameful show that highlights just how petty some professional athletes can become when they start thinking more about money and less about loyalty and love for the game.
Hey Mido, We agree, Ronny should stay at Manchester. But he’s got his reasons for wanting to leave, hope he makes the right decision.
Hey Jim,
We feel that your comments are a little exaggerated regarding our posting salaries of athletes from other sports. At no point did we state that Ronny should be the highest paid athlete, but the highest paid footballer.
We posted the salaries of athletes from other sports to make a point. The point is that, although Cristiano is arguably the best player in the world’s most watched sport, his salary is substantially less than other athletes’ in less globally known sports like American Football. And only slightly higher than Athletes in obscure and virtually unknown sports like Ice Hockey.
When we talk about football salaries, as you can see by our list, Cristiano the world’s best footballer, is currently in 8th spot behind players like Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack among others. Manchester United is sending a clear picture to Ronny that he isn’t as valued as they say he is.
In response to your second point, your comment that SAF “transformed our dear Ronny from a mediocre, overly emotional teen to a highly competent, highly skilled footballer”
First, although we don’t want to take anything from SAF, he is truly a great manager. With that said, SAF had very little to do with Ronny’s greatness. It’s well known that Carlos Queiroz has been instrumental in providing support to Cristiano as well as convincing Ronny to go back to Man Utd after the Rooney incident. So, if you really believe that Manchester is responsible for Ronny’s greatness then you should be thanking Queiroz.
But let’s backtrack a little and think back to SAF’s signing of Ronny from Sporting Lisbon. At that time, Manchester paid £12.00 million +, the highest ever for a teenager. Would SAF pay that kind of money for someone he thought was “mediocre”?.
To further elaborate on this. If Manchester thought that Ronny was mediocre and still paid an outrageous fee for him when he was virtually unknown, then why aren’t they paying him his worth now that he is the world’s greatest? The fact is Manchester knew the quality they were getting. To bring the point home, SAF has admitted Cristiano “is one of the best signings” he’s ever made, so clearly SAF doesn’t feel as you do. As for emotional teen, well that’s a given, that’s what teens do.
To address your other point that Ronaldo wouldn’t be great without the likes of players like “Rooney, Tevez, Giggs” to take “pressure and attention off” him. Well that’s what great players are paid to do, and that is to take pressure off of their star. A player of Ronny’s calibre will always play in top teams, and therefore he will always be assisted by other top players. That’s the world of team sports.
In response to your last point that “Ronaldo owes it to United to play hard and not cause disruptions over a few more million”. Cristiano never mentioned that he wants to leave because of the money. It’s his boyhood dream of playing for Madrid that motivates him. Who are you to question his dreams?
http://www.footballworld.in/2008/06/highest-paid-soccer-stars.html
Looks like someone has it wrong…
Sam, it’s you who’s got it wrong. The link that you provided is clearly showing Ronny’s projected wages on a revised contract worth about £140,000. Here’s a better link for you:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/04/02/ufnpaylist102.xml
i think ronaldo is a wicked winger he has the looks,skill’s,shot,speed and wicked footie boots i can’t wait till he’s back cus he’s the BEST EVER!!!
charlotte(charlie)
xxxxxxx
ronaldo should getpaid loads he’s just arsome!!!!!
Hey Charlie, we agree, he’s the Best Ever and he should be paid more.