Wayne Rooney has revealed the size of the biggest contract he signed during his Manchester United career, which left his fellow ex-pros lost for words.
In an eye-opening discussion about notable deals brokered in their playing days, Rooney’s startling admission left Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright and Roy Keane stunned into silence.
While few would take issue with a player of Rooney’s ability and continued importance to Manchester United and England taking home such a hefty sum, the disparity compared to his fellow footballing legends was noteworthy.
It was perhaps best explained by the sharp increase in investment in the English top flight as he neared the end of his career.
In 2014, the former United captain put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year deal and was reported to be receiving a weekly wage of £300,000.
That agreement, which also included commercial rights and ambassadorial commitments beyond his playing career, appears to be the £17m deal the 40-year-old referenced when asked by Neville about his biggest contract.
Wayne Rooney has revealed that he earned as much as £17million-a-year during his time at Man United
The revelation left his fellow Stick to Football pundits stunned, with his deal almost ten times that of Neville’s in his final season at Old Trafford
The ex-United skipper remains the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, scoring 250 goals in 559 appearances across 13 seasons at Old Trafford.
He won five Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup, three League Cups and the Europa League.
Nevertheless, his revelation left his fellow Stick to Football pundits stunned, with Neville joking that he now wished he had used an agent during his contract negotiations with the club.
Earlier in the discussion, Neville had been shedding light on some of his own contracts during a 20-year United career, and appeared to come to the realisation, with the help of Carragher, that he had been grossly underpaid.
The former defender earned a basic salary of £1.75m, rising to £2.25m, a far cry from what his old colleague would go on to receive.
‘[Money] was never a focus for me,’ Neville said on Stick to Football. ‘I never once worried about the money side of it.
‘I just thought that if I can get to the end of my career at 35 or 36 at United then I know I’ll be alright.
‘When they offered me seven years on less money, it was better for me than signing for four years on higher money. I always thought in a more cautious way.’
Rooney was handed a lucrative five-year-deal by the Red Devils in 2014, pocketing around £300,000-per-week
Carragher then revealed his biggest deal had been worth around £3m, with much of his earnings coming through performance bonuses after Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League triumph.
Keane, meanwhile, said he earned around £5m at his peak, far exceeding Neville’s because he was a ‘better player, obviously’. Still, the former midfielder insisted his wages were modest compared to the modern game.
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