Top 10 earners
Frank Lampard £99k
Patrick Vieira £99k
Sol Campbell £99k
Roy Keane £84k
Thierry Henry £80k
John Terry £68k
Rio Ferdinand £65k
Kieron Dyer £62k
Steven Gerrard £56k
Arjen Robben £50k
Frank Lampard £99k
Patrick Vieira £99k
Sol Campbell £99k
Roy Keane £84k
Thierry Henry £80k
John Terry £68k
Rio Ferdinand £65k
Kieron Dyer £62k
Steven Gerrard £56k
Arjen Robben £50k
Kieron Dyer £62k ?Our extensive research across every club in the top flight has exposed the most closely-guarded secrets in England — and we can reveal the trio of superstars who top the Premiership money list.
Chelsea and England midfield star Frank Lampard earns £99,000-A-WEEK as do Arsenal duo Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell.
That whopping package dwarfs the £68k-a-week contract Blues skipper John Terry was recently handed at Stamford Bridge.
But the massive Lampard deal is testament to the progress he has made in the last two years, establishing himself as the most improved player in the country.
Professional Footballers' Association chairman Gordon Taylor has backed his members, despite protests from those in lower-paid professions.
Taylor said: "You can't blame players for wanting the best wages when they are the ones making their clubs successful.
"They do not have a long career and have to make the most of it while they can. They will be performing for their country and their clubs in a high-pressure environment and are expected to deliver week in, week out.
"The fact is, these wages are paid by the clubs in the demand for success and the game has never enjoyed as much income from gate receipts, television and sponsorship.
"If the game is hoping to try and attract the best players from all over the world, it is inevitable they must offer the best pay deals.
"Every labourer is worth his hire and it is not as if the player is putting the club's arm up its back.
Share
"It is up to clubs to balance budgets and it is only fair that players should share in the income the game is getting."
But that view is not shared by the NHS.
A spokeswoman said: "The money footballers are earning now is ridiculous.
"I appreciate they are entertainers but it takes nurses five or six years to earn what people like Lampard receives in a week. I work with people who are out there actually saving lives.
"That's a bit different to playing football."
Fifty years ago, Arsenal's legendary Denis Compton picked up less than £50 for a fortnight's work and that INCLUDED bonuses for winning the FA Cup.
Stanley Matthews, the first European Footballer of the Year, was earning just £13-a-week at the same time.
Wages increased steadily after that but really hit the big-time in the late Eighties and early Nineties.
England star Gary Lineker was picking up £10k-a-week at Tottenham and now the top-earners earn up to 10 times that amount.
Roy Keane is the highest earner at Old Trafford, earning £84k each week while Rio Ferdinand is on £65k and Gary Neville on £45k.
Steven Gerrard opted out of a move from Liverpool in the summer with a string of Europe's top clubs targeting him and was rewarded with a £56k-a-week package.
But that's nothing compared to Thierry Henry's bumper £80k weekly packet.
However, across London it's poor old Tottenham who are serving up the worst deals to their stars.
Striker Jermain Defoe, along with Wayne Rooney the most exciting young forward in England, is earning £18k-a-week — relative peanuts compared to his international team-mates.
Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson is on the same rate and they are two of the better-paid players at White Hart Lane!
Joe Cole is picking up almost double that for sitting on the bench at Chelsea while, astonishingly, Kieron Dyer collects £62,000 each week at Newcastle.
Control
Goalkeepers don't fare too well in the high-earners' stakes with former England No1 David James on a ‘paltry' £20k-a-week while Liverpool's Chris Kirkland earns £22k.
But there is obviously still room for the golden oldies to cash in on the soccer boom that seems to be spiralling out of control.
Middlesbrough lead the way dishing out £40k-a-week to 29-year-old Mark Viduka, 32-year-old Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and 34-year-old Gareth Southgate with the latter pair reaching the end of their careers.
It all goes to prove why the Premiership is THE place to be.
