When Wayne Rooney came on as sub last week, he had gone about 4 weeks since his previous game for Man Utd. With lightning fast mathematics, The Bung calculated that with his widely reported, new £200,000 per week wage, that meant he had collected £800,000 in those 4 weeks without kicking a ball.
When we thought further about this, we realised that even if we were able to earn £40,000 a year, then it would take us 20 years to earn that (and you’ll see below that this is above average for most people)– if we weren’t dead or knackered by then. (And if we were still going in 20 years, then no doubt Rooney would then be owning a pub chain in Cheshire by then and England still wouldn’t have won the World Cup…)
But it also got us thinking, how else could we compare Wayne Rooney’s new level of income? So we came up with the following:
1. During those 4 weeks he was injured, what did he earn each day?
At a weekly wage of £200,000, that is £800,000 for the 4 weeks, which is a staggering £28,571 every day, or £1,190 per hour – that’s more than most plumbers make.
2. How many average earners would it take to earn Wayne Rooney’s wage?
The average annual salary in the UK is £25,800 (call it £26k). Therefore, to earn Rooney’s annual £10,400,000 (before bonuses and sponsorship of course), it would need 400 individuals earning that average wage to match his.
Rooney's wages compared to the average wage
3. How does Wayne’s wage compare to other income in and out of the football fraternity?
It’s often commented that “he doesn’t earn enough to buy so-and-so’s right leg”, and in many instances when comparing others’ earnings to Wayne Rooney, that’s true. In fact, Mike Norton, key striker at FC United of Manchester, couldn’t buy one of Rooney’s toes, and even David Cameron would be hard pushed to get much change out of a foot…
Rooney's wages compared to other income
4. How quickly could Rooney pay off Sheffield Wednesday’s debt?
Sheff Wed debt
The BBC reported that Sheffield Wednesday owe the Inland Revenue £1.4m. So, Rooney could pay that off in just 7 weeks. That means, if he starts next week, he’d have finished by January 16th.
5. How much does Rooney earn each match?
We know Man Utd will play 38 games in the Premier League, and it’s highly likely they’ll do well in at least 1 more of the cups they enter, so they could easily play 50 or more matches this season. Let’s say 50. And if Rooney was to play in all of them, then he would earn £208,000 a match, which equates to £2,311 per minute he is on the pitch. (Okay, we recognise that he does train most days, but in pure match-time, that’s his earnings).
Rooney's wage from Match Day revenues
6. How much of Man Utd’s Match Revenue does it take to pay Rooney?
It’s estimated that Man Utd earn £96m p.a. from match day revenues. So, 11% of that goes to pay Mr Rooney. Think about that when you’re next eating an over-priced burger at the Stretford End or signing your cheque for next season’s tickets.
7. What percentage of Man Utd’s debt is taken up by Rooney’s wages?
Actually, very little! To put things in perspective, the BBC recently reported that Man Utd had a debt of £1.1 billion. Which means that Rooney’s annual wage is paltry at less than 1% of that.
Doesn’t quite make it seem such a lot now, does it? Does it…?
Sources:
2. http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/best-paid-jobs
3. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3093718/Blackpool-back-in-business-thanks-to-its-footie-club.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1254747/Neil-Warnock-joins-QPR-manager-Hoops-agree-pay-Crystal-Palace.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325247/Manchester-United-fans-cash-Wayne-Rooney-paid-7407.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/8102606/Jack-Wilshere-signs-long-term-Arsenal-contract.html
http://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-commons-faqs/members-faq-page2/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/05/northern-rock-banking
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/SHOWCHARITY/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=306070&SubsidiaryNumber=0
http://sw19s-army.derrymeeleen.com/wp/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1190187/Fabio-Capello-demands-England-U-21-manager-Stuart-Pearce-gets-pay-rise-FA.html
4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_wed/9195973.stm
6. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/mar/31/manchester-united-drop-revenue
7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10237268
