A recent resurfaced clip featuring Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville has once again ignited debate among football fans — this time about player wages. Rooney, reflecting on his career on The Overlap podcast, disclosed that his most lucrative Manchester United contract paid him about £17 million per season at its peak, a figure that left fellow legends stunned.
To put this figure in perspective, dividing £17 million over the whole year equates to roughly £326,923 per week, an amount that would place Rooney among the Premier League’s highest earners even by today’s standards.
Veteran Pundits Left Speechless
Listening to Rooney’s revelation, Gary Neville — one of Rooney’s former Manchester United teammates and now a respected pundit — openly expressed disbelief at the size of the wage, branding it “unbelievable” and prompting widespread reaction on social media.
Football commentators highlighted that, by contrast, wages during Neville’s own playing days were far more modest — even for top players. In the early 2000s, a leading United defender like Neville might have earned around £2–3 million per season, a stark contrast to Rooney’s £17 million figure.
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The Skyrocketing Salaries of Modern Football
Rooney’s candid disclosure underscores a broader transformation in football economics. Since the Premier League’s inception, revenues from broadcast rights, sponsorship deals, and global merchandising have ballooned — enabling clubs to offer vastly larger contracts than in the past.
For example, Premier League stars such as Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah today command weekly wages that can rival Rooney’s peak contract when adjusted for inflation, a sign of how the market has evolved.
The discussion also touched on endorsement deals that complemented player salaries. Rooney himself, at various points in his career, supplemented his income through agreements with brands like Nike — further demonstrating how elite footballers’ overall earnings have grown beyond basic club wages.
Players, Pundits and Fans Weigh In
The resurfaced talk clip has generated a flurry of reactions from fans and former players across social media and sports forums. Many have expressed admiration for Rooney’s lucrative deal and performance legacy, while others use the story to critique wage inflation in modern football.
Some supporters argue that historically great players of Rooney’s era were worth every penny, even if their contracts dwarf those of past generations. Others point to the increasing commercialization of the sport and its impact on wage structures, suggesting modern football’s financial model is unsustainable.
Whichever perspective one takes, it’s clear that Rooney’s wage revelation — and Neville’s candid reaction — has sparked renewed discussion about football economics, player value, and how compensation in elite sport has shifted dramatically over the past two decades.
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