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Now let’s be fair, being a professional footballer pays quite handsomely. With the ever growing popularity of the sport on a global scale, it’s natural that the “superstars” of the game are gifted an absolute fortune to showcase their skills. One look at the lifestyles of some of them (the likes of Christiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba instantly jump into our minds) and anyone could be blinded by the glimmers and shine of the limelight.
Even your average "pub" league players earn enough to make a living out the sport that they love(some do even better than that). But as is the case with everything, some people perhaps don’t get the fair share of the pie. So here’s a list of 5 footballers who probably deserve a fatter paycheck from their respective club and unless loyalty is the sole driving factor, expect them to jump shift for greener pastures in the near future.
(Note- Of course a large number of Tottenham players haven’t been included. I mean, they have a huge stadium to build after all.)
#5 Mauro Icardi (£78k per week)
Playing for Argentina as a forward can be a thankless job given the wealth of talent that they always possess. However, the stats back Icardi as currently one of the elite strikers in Europe.
Playing for Inter Milan, the Argentinean has smashed 15 goals and provided 2 assists from 22 appearances this season, making an approximate goal contribution every 138 minutes. While his weekly salary is more than enough to prevent depending on hot dogs for daily survival, it rather seems just a matter of time before a giant club lures him away from Italy.
A Premier League stationing seems the likeliest route for the striker but Real Madrid might also look at him as their next marquee signing.
With Dani Alves seemingly out of favour in Paris and close to retirement, Joshua Kimmich sits currently as the best right back in the world.
The Bavarian defender is gifted with soaring pace and infinite stamina that makes him a dangerous prospect in the offensive phase, and his 9 assists (with 1 goal as well) for Bayern this season attest to the fact.
Additionally, a defensive output of 2.5 tackles and interceptions every match (91% pass accuracy) make him the complete full back. It might be difficult to break the German bond, but with such a rarity of quality players in his playing position, expect Bayern to soon upgrade the 23-year old’s paycheck keeping other large clubs from swarming around.
#3 Kalidou Koulibaly (£35k per week)
Absolutely everyone at Napoli must really thank their lucky stars that despite crashing down to the Europa League, they have kept hold of the alpha defender, Koulibaly who is in his prime at 27.
The Senegal international averaged a sweat-inducing 4.5 Tackles and Interceptions in the Champions league while his attractive long ball ability can open up any defence.
An imposing figure standing at 6 ft 4 inches, Koulibaly’s tackling prowess and excellent ball control surely makes him a candidate for the best Centre Back going around and he could instantly fit into any European side with utmost ease.
All the attention and dollar bills that his counter parts like Ramos, Pique (to name a few) generate, it’s fair to say Napoli have made the mother of all bargain deals with the defender.
#2 Jan Oblak (£25k per week)
Arguably the best shot-stopper in the world at the moment (with De Gea as the closest breathing human), it’s surprising that Oblak’s demands for a pay rise fell on deaf ears throughout 2018 within the Atleti board.
Until 2019, the Slovenian international had managed to keep more clean sheets than the number of goals he had conceded for his club, let that sink in! Even in the current season, the goalkeeper has let in just 0.67 goals in all La-Liga matches (12 goals in 18 appearances) which looks even more impressive given the ageing back line that they now have.
So for a man getting paid in peanuts, surely a record money transfer is on the horizon and many Premier League clubs could do worse than offering him a bumper offer for his services.
#1 Christian Eriksen (£75k per week)
An indispensable member of the Tottenham squad, Eriksen’s real value is only revealed on the days of his absence. The midfield maestro has already scored 6 times and laid on 8 assists for his teammates making a goal contribution every 115 minutes for his side this season.
However, the cost of constructing a new stadium has further constructed a ceiling on the wages he is ever likely to receive from his employers and this has led to interest from the big boys on the block, Real Madrid and others.
Florentino Perez is reportedly monitoring the situation himself and is likely to put forth a bid in excess of £100m this term for the 26-year-old. So if Pochettino is to keep his man within the walls of North London, a significant pay rise seems to be the only option for Daniel Levy.
