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Nick Potts
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New survey reveals Man United players are the best paid in world football

The average player at Old Trafford takes home £5.77 million a year.

THE £5.77 MILLION AVERAGE salary of a Manchester United player is the highest in world football, according to the findings of a global survey.

Sporting Intelligence’s Global Sports Salaries Survey, which covered almost 10,000 sportsmen spread across 333 teams in seven sports, found the Red Devils to be the most generous outfit in their chosen field.

NBA teams lead the way in terms of the biggest-paying outfits in sport – with Lebron James’ wages contributing to an average wage bill of £6.54m at the Cleveland Cavaliers – while baseball giants the New York Yankees also sit inside the top three.

United are fourth on that list, but the Red Devils lead the way when it comes to rewarding top earners in football.

The Premier League is the best-paid division on the planet, with the average first-team player pocketing over £2.4m-a-year, or £48,766-a-week.

Those figures are close to double what it is paid out in Spain’s La Liga and are reflected in the list of football’s biggest-paying clubs.

United’s basic pay equates to £110,692-a-week, although there are plenty of players on their books earning more than that.

High-profile summer acquisitions Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are being handsomely rewarded for their efforts, with the most expensive player in history sitting fifth on the list of football’s top earners and his Swedish team-mate tenth.

Spain Soccer Real Madrid Ronaldo Ronaldo recently signed a new contract at Real Madrid. Paul White Paul White

Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo sits joint-top of the charts, with the Portuguese superstar reported to be taking home £18.98m every year.

Lionel Messi is said to earn the same salary at Barcelona, while Gareth Bale’s new contract at Real has carried him into the top three on £18.2m-a-year.

It is unlikely that any member of that trio will be heading, or returning to England any time soon, but it is clear that only a select group of clubs could afford to bring them on board were they to become available.

United are joined in the top five of football’s salary chart by Manchester City and Chelsea, while Arsenal and Liverpool are also inside the top 10.

There are 11 Premier League sides in the top 20, while all current members of the English top-flight occupy a standing inside the top 50.

Best paid teams in world football:

  1. Manchester United (£5.77 million annual salary)
  2. Barcelona (£5.65 million annual salary)
  3. Manchester City (£5.42 million annual salary)
  4. Real Madrid (£5.05 million annual salary)
  5. Chelsea (£4.51 million annual salary)
  6. Paris Saint-Germain (£4.47 million annual salary)
  7. Bayern Munich (£4.16 million annual salary)
  8. Juventus (£3.97 million annual salary)
  9. Arsenal (£3.70 million annual salary)
  10. Liverpool (£3.01 million annual salary)

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