Del Piero world's best paid player says survey

April 25, 2000
SportsServer

Paris - Juventus's Alessandro Del Piero is the world's best paid soccer player, according to a survey published on Tuesday.

Del Piero amasses 66 million francs ($11 milion) a year in salary, bonuses and advertising revenue, France Football magazine said in its survey.

Since signing a record new deal with Juventus worth some 34 million francs ($5.6 million) a year in 1999, Del Piero has overtaken Brazil's Ronaldo as the world's best paid player.

Ronaldo, recovering from a second knee ligament operation in less than five months, earns 55 million francs ($9.2 million), the survey says.

With Ronaldo's Inter Milan team mate Christian Vieri third on 39 million francs ($6.5 million), the top three all play in Italy's Serie A championship.

David Beckham of Manchester United, who earns $6 million, Argentine Gabriel Batistuta of Fiorentina, on $5.9 million, and England captain Alan Shearer of Newcastle United -- $5.8 million -- are the next best paid.

Players in France are way behind their counterparts in Italy, Spain and England in terms of earnings.

Of the three Frenchmen among Europe's top 20 best paid players, only World Cup goalkeeper Fabien Barthez ($4 million) plays his club football in France for champions Monaco.

Real Madrid's Nicolas Anelka is the seventh best paid, with earnings of $5.7 million and World Cup star Zinedine Zidane 10th on $5.2 million.

Zidane is just behind Real's Steve McManaman ($5.36 million) and Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata of Roma ($5.33 million).

Salaries of first division players in France rose by 50 percent between 1997 and 1999, but the average is still about a quarter of that in the English premier league, estimated at more than four million francs ($670,000).

French clubs are unable to pay higher salaries and attract bigger foreign stars partly because they are taxed by as much as 10 times more per player than clubs in the four other major footballing countries of Europe.
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