Do footballers really earn more money?

Growing up, most of us dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. After all, footballers seem to have it made. They get to play the beautiful game for a living, have luxurious lifestyles, and earn a bucket load of money. Last year Rooney, for example, earned just under £30 a minute (£1785 an hour). But is his salary the norm? And is football really the best-paid sport?

In terms of overall footballer’s earnings, Christiano Ronaldo came out on top in 2014, receiving a reported £33 million from his Real Madrid salary and endorsements combined.

Not every footballer is a Ronaldo though, so the big question is how do footballer’s earnings compare?

We have always known that footballers earn more than a lot of other sports – with the average Premier League salary coming in at a very tasty £2.3million. So it’s no surprise that they earn more than the average athlete, boxer, golfer or tennis player – however, did you know that on average they earn less than cricketers in the Indian Premier League? We didn’t. Did you know that even when they’re at the top of their game like Ronaldo they still earn less than boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.? Again, our expectations were elsewhere.

So, while the average Premier League footballer earns a salary that most of us could only dream of us, they’re not necessarily the highest paid sports stars.

The infographic below explores this, comparing Ronaldo’s earnings to others, in not only his game but those in other sports as well.

Though when all’s said and done lets not forget… football isn’t all about the money. Football is called the beautiful game for a reason. There’s nothing sweeter than the home team scoring a goal, smacking that ball into the back of the net and making the stadium erupt. That being said, who would complain if they earned a footballer’s salary? Not me.