Money, Money, Money! Is It All Footballers’ Want Anymore?

Money, money, money, money, money! Some people got to have it. Some people really need it…

The above is a segment from the lyrics of “For The Love Of Money” by the O’Jays. The song was made famous through The Apprentice, where it was used as the theme song for multiple seasons. For those of you who don’t know, The Apprentice is all about making money.

In modern football, money has become such a major element of the sport, and at times it seems to be the only motive for people to play the "beautiful game." Loyalties are pushed aside when money comes into the picture, and more often than not, players long to go where the money is.

Chelsea’s Frank Lampard currently earns around £140,000 a week, while teammate John Terry rakes in about £131,000 every week. Chelsea’s Michael Ballack earns £121,000 a week, while Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard earns £120,000 over the course of seven days.

Before returning to AC Milan last summer, Andriy Shevchenko earned wages in the region of £121,000 during his time at Stamford Bridge. For a player who only scored 22 goals during his time at Chelsea, it seems like a ridiculous amount of money to pay a player, and in all honesty, it is.

Other big earners in the Premier League include Cristiano Ronaldo, with £119,000 a week, and his Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney, who earns £110,000 a week. Newcastle’s Michael Owen and Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand also earn over £100,000 a week, while Chelsea’s Didier Drogba falls just outside of the ‘£100,000 wages club’ with £91,000 a week.

What would happen if each of these players’ wages were cut in half? I have my doubts as to whether or not they’d still want to play for their club.

It may be impertinent for me to undermine the loyalties of each player, but it an era when money is such an important factor, I’m convinced each of these players would feel differently about playing for their club if their wages were to suddenly be cut in half.

I have the ultimate respect for Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, and in fact, they are just a few of my heroes at Old Trafford. But I cannot help but question the motives of the modern footballer. Rooney and Ferdinand clearly love playing at United, but I doubt they would feel the same way if they earned less than half of what they make now.

Frank Lampard spent the summer mulling over a move to Inter Milan to join former coach Jose Mourinho after Chelsea failed to offer the 30-year-old enough money in his contract extension.

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