Source: Daily_Mail
Manchester United stars dominate rich list...but £135m David Beckham is still top
Manchester City dominate the financial stakes in the Premier League but it is players from rivals Manchester United that come out top dogs in a British football rich list.[LNB]Four of the top five earners hail from Old Trafford including Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, with ex-United player David Beckham topping the players' list.[LNB] Still top dog: Beckham is the wealthiest player in British football[LNB]The LA Galaxy midfielder maintains his position as the wealthiest footballer at ?135million - an increase of ?35m from the previous year.[LNB]At 36-years-old the former England captain is near the end of his career, and with a basic salary of ?4million sees the rest of his income come through sponsorship deals with companies including adidas, EA, Yahoo and Coty that will likely continue after he hangs up his boots.[LNB] That far behind: Ferdinand gestures to United team mate Owen[LNB]Owen is second on the list, making him the top dog inside the Premier League despite featuring a long way down the pecking order at Old Trafford.[LNB] The former England international trails Beckham by a long way on ?40m, but sponsorship deals with Umbro, Jaguar, Tissot and his own company Owen Promotions add to his pay-as-you-play deal to help him maintain second from last year.[LNB] Going up: Giggs and Rooney move up one place in the list from last year[LNB]Ferdinand (?36m) ensures the top three stay the same as the previous year with Giggs (?30m) and Rooney (?30m) both moving up a place to round out the top five in FourFourTwo's list.[LNB]Four Chelsea players feature in the top 10 with Frank Lampard (?26m), John Terry (?22m), Didier Drogba (?19m) and Fernando Torres (?18m) behind Liverpool's Steven Gerrard on ?27million.[LNB] Wants out: Tevez (centre) is poised to leave Manchester City but is one of British football's big earners[LNB]The 20 wealthiest footballers features only two players from Manchester City, with wantaway striker Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure new entrants in 14th place with ?14m.[LNB]However the club's owner Sheikh Mansour tops the magazine's overall list, reporting he is worth ?20billion.[LNB] Money Mansour: Manchester City's owner tops the magazine's list[LNB]Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling Al-Nahyan family, has invested heavily into the club since 2008 transforming City from a mid-table side to a Champions League outfit.[LNB]Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov follows with a ?12.4bn fortune, demoting QPR shareholder Lakshmi Mittal to third with the Indian steel magnate worth ?11.8bn - despite both not having complete control of their clubs.[LNB]Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's fortunes increased ?2.9bn in the last year seeing him take fourth with ?10.3bn, as he continues to bankroll the west London club in search of a Champions League title.[LNB]ManchesterUnited's controversial owner Malcolm Glazer saw an increase of ?110m tomaintain ninth, while Liverpool's owner John W Henry is the highest newentry on the list in 20th having purchased the Merseyside club a year ago. [LNB]Top 20 overall1. Sheikh Mansour (?20bn)(Manchester City)2. Alisher Usmanov (?12.4bn)(Arsenal)3. Lakshmi Mittal (?11.8bn)(QPR)4. Roman Abramovich(?10.3bn)(Chelsea)5. Liebherr Family (?3bn)(Southampton)6. Joe Lewis (?2.8b)(Tottenham)7. Denis O'Brien (?2.517bn)(Doncaster)8. Stan Kroenke (?1.8bn)(Arsenal)9. Malcolm Glazer (?1.64bn)(Man United)10. Mike Ashley (?1.37bn)(Newcastle)11. Mohamed Al-Fayed(?1.3bn)(Fulham)= Lord Ashcroft (?1.3bn)(Tottenham/Watford)= Dermot Desmond (?1.3bn)(Celtic)14. Lord Grantchester (?1.2bn)(Everton)15. Ellis Short (?1bn)(Sunderland)16. Vincent Tan (?757m)(Cardiff)17. Peter Coates (?750m)(Stoke)18. Randy Lerner (?630m)(Aston Villa)19. Marcus Evans (?625m)(Ipswich)20. John Henry (?600m)(Liverpool)[LNB]Top 20 footballers1. David Beckham (?135m)(LA Galaxy)2. Michael Owen (?40m)(Manchester United)3. Rio Ferdinand (?36m)(Manchester United)4. Ryan Giggs (?30m)(Manchester United)5. Wayne Rooney (?30m)(Manchester United)6. Steven Gerrard (?27m)(Liverpool)7. Frank Lampard (?26m)(Chelsea)8. John Terry (?22m)(Chelsea)9. Didier Drogba (?19m)(Chelsea)10. Fernando Torres (?18m)(Chelsea)11. Petr Cech (?16m)(Chelsea)= Nicolas Anelka (?16m)(Chelsea)= Joe Cole (?16m)(Lille)14. Yaya Toure (?14m)(Manchester City)= Michael Essien (?14m)(Chelsea)= Carlos Tevez (?14m)(Manchester City)= Ashley Cole (?14m)(Chelsea)18. Robbie Keane (?13m)(LA Galaxy)= Damien Duff (?13m)(Fulham)20. Craig Bellamy (?12m)(Liverpool)[LNB] Next stop Paris, Becks? PSG jet in to LA in bid to secure deal with Galaxy starPremier League TV rights ruling: Will it all be kicking off down at your local pub? Roo'll be a record breaker! Fergie backs star to beat legend Charlton's tally[LNB]
