Rio Ferdinand has defended Alexis Sanchez amid claims the Chilean will be raking in up to £500k-per-month at Manchester United.
Ex-United defender, Ferdinand, has pointed out that players don’t set their wages and there are plenty of other sports in which the players receive massive salaries.
“Players do not set the benchmarks and the rules for the prices,” the pundit told BT Sport.
“It’s the TV rights why the cubs are paying the players.
“It strikes me that footballers always get hammered for this situation.
“Is it because it’s a working class sport? is it because a lot of people come from less affluent backgrounds?
“Because I don’t see golfers, who earn huge money, getting called out for their wages that they’re earning.
“Motor racing drivers. These guys don’t get called out for what they earn on a weekly on yearly basis.
“The difference baffles me a little bit.
“Yeah, a policeman, fireman or nurse deserves to earn more than any sportsperson on the planet, but we are just lucky that we’re born into an industry that pays so well.”
Alexis’ actual wages aren’t that clear right now.
The Express, who aren’t exactly the most reliable tabloid, report the 29-year-old’s ‘pocketing’ £500kpw. Meanwhile, other outlets, such as the Mirror, say the Chilean will get £400kpw, the Daily Mail claim £450kpw and the Evening Standard say he’ll get £350kpw after tax, as well as bonuses.
What IS clear is that the forward will be one of the highest paid players in the world and certainly in the Premier League.
Leaked photo from Alexis Sanchez’s Manchester United media shoot today.
Looks like he has taken the no.7 shirt. pic.twitter.com/KylHSc0X3Y
— Transfer Related (@TransferRelated) January 21, 2018
Although the players don’t set the wages themselves, they’re the ones who are able to hold clubs to ransom these days. They know their worth and how in demand they are. They, along with their agents, are often able to manipulate situations and force moves, no matter what that means for their current club.
If it wasn’t about the money, Alexis would be at Manchester City.
If moving away from Arsenal was for footballing reasons, the ex-Barcelona star would have reunited with Pep Guardiola at City while still picking up a hefty £290kpw wage.
Players may not be directly at fault for their astronomical wages but they certainly enjoy using them to their advantage.
Saying this, I do agree with Ferdinand that it’s annoying when other sportsmen rake in similar amounts but we never hear people complaining about that. Perhaps this is down to the sheer popularity of football – the more people paying attention, the more people there are to complain.
As Ferdinand says, if only our workers in the emergency services got that amount.