Chelsea
are the only Premier League side
in the top 10 best-paying clubs, with an average pay
packet of £68,946 per week.
The Premier League's multi-millionaires have
been put in the shade in the global pay stakes, according to a new
study.
Despite the ever-growing ranks of mega-rich footballers,
Sporting Intelligence's annual review of global salaries ranks the
Premier League just fourth among the world's sports leagues.
The report analyses the salary of first-team players across the
globe's top competitions, with basketball's NBA setting the pace
with an average wage in excess of £50,000 per week.
Cricket's Indian Premier League is a surprise entry in second
place, with average salaries pushed skywards by the relatively
short six-week season. Major League Baseball also finishes ahead of
the Premier League, which is the best-paid football league in the
world with average weekly pay of £28,230.
Nick Harris, editor of sportingintelligence.com and author of
the report, said: "The findings will come as a surprise to anyone
who thinks the Premier League is the best paid division in world
sport because it's far from the case.
"I found wages higher than expected in cricket and Japanese
baseball and lower in American football and parts of the Premier
League."
Chelsea
are the only Premier League side in
the top 10 best-paying clubs, but their average pay packet of
£68,946 per week is dwarfed by Spanish giants Barcelona and Real
Madrid - who last summer made Cristiano
Ronaldo the richest player
in the world when they signed him from Manchester
United for £80
million.
Big-spending baseball outfit the New York Yankees top the pile,
lavishing an average £89,897 per week on stars such as Alex
Rodriguez and Derek Jeter - although their massive outlay brought
them World Series glory last October.
Highest paying sports leagues (average weekly salary per
starting player)
1- NBA (basketball) - £50,847
2- IPL (cricket) - £48,243
3- MLB (baseball) - £35,147
4- Premier League - £28,230
5- NFL (American football) - £22,506
Highest paying sports teams (average weekly salary per
starting player)
1- New York Yankees (MLB) - £89,897
2- Real Madrid (Liga) - £81,444
3- Barcelona (Liga) - £78,231
4- Chelsea (Premier League) - £68,946
5- Dallas Mavericks (NBA) - £68,343
6- LA Lakers (NBA) - £65,563
7- Detroit Pistons (NBA) - £64,234
8- Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) - £63,529
9- Boston Celtics (NBA) - £62,813
10-New York Knicks (NBA) - £59,120
Eurosport