Player wages - how much do they really earn???

[DeeGame]

Some of us might have seen what is claimed to be images of Riise's payslip on the net.

I am not going to give the exact figures but according to the images it looks as if he is one of the top earners amongst the players.

I found this surprising as i thought he was more amongst the middle pay bracket and not in the high bracket along the likes of Stevie G.

So i was wondering do players actually earn a lot more than claimed in media reports?

Is it something we as fans should be concerned about?

[Rich]

Without mentioning the obvious images; it's fair to say Riise gets paid ALOT less than Gerrard, or Torres, or Kewell, or Alonso, or Carragher (to name 5!)

[Imy]

Some of us might have seen what is claimed to be images of Riise's payslip on the net.

I am not going to give the exact figures but according to the images it looks as if he is one of the top earners amongst the players.

I found this surprising as i thought he was more amongst the middle pay bracket and not in the high bracket along the likes of Stevie G.

So i was wondering do players actually earn a lot more than claimed in media reports?

Is it something we as fans should be concerned about?

That was a monthly payslip, so no he is nowhere near SG's reputed wages

[Subby]

Riise's slip for the month would be like 1 for Stevie for a week

[Parm]

That was a monthly payslip, so no he is nowhere near SG's reputed wages

yup, but when I first saw it I thought it was a weekly payslip.

[Hass]

I was surprised at the amount of tax riise was paying, I mean don't footy players set up companies so they they can say they are self employed and therefore pay reduced tax rather than the standard 40%?

[Parm]

I was surprised at the amount of tax riise was paying, I mean don't footy players set up companies so they they can say they are self employed and therefore pay reduced tax rather than the standard 40%?

yeah, but Riise isnt the brightest of guys is he!

[Imy]

I was surprised at the amount of tax riise was paying, I mean don't footy players set up companies so they they can say they are self employed and therefore pay reduced tax rather than the standard 40%?

I think the agents usually set this up, Riise agent left him high, dry and 'bankrupt'

[Hass]

yeah, but Riise isnt the brightest of guys is he!

That he is not and again something which later sprung to my mind....

Oh John John John... You can see how easy it was for his last agent to mug him...

[keniget]

Is Gerrard still on 100K or was that bumped up to 120K?

Carra and Alonso are on 90K aren't they?

[Parm]

That he is not and again something which later sprung to my mind....

Oh John John John... You can see how easy it was for his last agent to mug him...

does anyone know what happened with all that bankruptcy ****? how did it all come about?

[Imy]

from the Independent:

Riise is declared bankrupt
By Sam Wallace
Published: 30 March 2007

He might play for one of the Premiership's biggest clubs and be a European Cup winner, but Liverpool's John Arne Riise was declared bankrupt on Wednesday in a case that is proving a stern lesson to the current generation of multi-millionaire footballers.

The 26-year-old is locked in a legal dispute with his former agent Einar Baardsen and it is understood that the bankruptcy order was obtained by a lawyer who is trying to recover fees in the region of £70,000 from Baardsen through Riise. The bankruptcy order on Riise was obtained at Liverpool County Court and will stay in effect for a year.

While it appears that the bankruptcy proceedings have been activated by just one individual in a bid to recover fees, the move is the latest development in the player's chaotic financial affairs. Riise is himself pursuing Baardsen - who has been declared bankrupt in Norway - for around £3m that he believes he is owed from the agent with whom he split in 2005.

Riise will be subject to the normal rules of bankruptcy that put limitations on the amount of credit he can borrow. His long-standing case against Baardsen is currently in the hands of Norwegian court administrators who are deciding what assets Baardsen has to share among his creditors and, once that is completed, the dispute between the two parties is likely to be decided in court in the Norwegian town of Stavanger.

[Parm]

ah ok, seems that his agent applied for a bankruptcy order (think you only need to be owed something like £700 to get one) but I thought Riise was going to get it set aside?

[Kenneth]

Riise gets about 38k a week. Now this is a lot, but what I thougth and what I would expect for a player of his reputation (not current form).


And no, footballers can't avoid paying tax by setting up companies etc. Not for their salary amyway, unless they have Non Dom status. Income from appearances etc would go to JAR Ltd and have massive tax benefits, but not normal wages.

[John_Gotti]

much too, much too paid they are