Ronaldinho will take home £17m with Barca's new contract after AC Milan interest Ronaldinho will stay at Barcelona until he is 34 if he signs a new contract set to be worth at least £8m per year, although his total earnings for a 12-month period up to next September may be up to nearly £20m, writes Matthew Day.
Once upon a time, David Beckham’s looks, along with his immense passing ability, elevated him into the proud position of being the world’s richest footballer. Most have no interest in the annual top tens, but the curious ones will reach for the sick bucket at the state of the game where even the most affluent of footballers want to cash-in wherever possible and many earn a weekly income that is double the average 12-month salary.
Beckham is now pleading for his England place, claiming ‘shock’ at being dropped despite appearing to dedicate most of his time not on training but avoiding the tabloids, filming commercials and living in his own diamond-encrusted bubble. Consequently, he abjectly captained England to a dismal World Cup campaign. Meanwhile, Ronaldinho has replaced ‘Golden Balls’ at the top of the money list and is, indisputably, the best player in the world. Not bad for someone who was rejected by Real Madrid (who opted for Beckham instead) because he was too ugly.
Real may have benefited, in the short-term, with Beckham’s huge popularity and saleability, but ultimately their galactico project failed miserably. So far, Ronaldinho has not let his vast earnings affect his performance for club Barcelona, where he has thrived under the cosmopolitan atmosphere. But first warnings that it has all come a little too fast for the 26-year-old were recognisable at the World Cup. In Germany, the buck-toothed Brazilian was played out of position and restricted in his freedom to operate under the tactically archaic Carlos Alberto Parreira, but reports ensued of late night romps with the ladies and an unhealthy obsession with Playstation game FIFA Football 2006.
But with the return of the Spanish season, the Rio Grande do Sul born playmaker reclaimed the form that has seen him win Fifa’s award as the world’s best footballer consecutively. He netted a sumptuous curling effort against Levski Sofia in the Champions League on matchday one, as if to send a message to the growing number of critics. He is a breathtaking player, playing at a wonderful club. Barcelona exhibit the most scintillating football in the world, and justifiably rule Europe’s roost as a result.
Ronaldinho earned approximately £15.5m between April 2005 and 2006, and that sum is set to rise again as Barcelona officials scurry around, organising a new, improved contract for the most-wanted footballer. His basic wage at the moment is a little over £6m, although he also receives performance-related bonuses. But more than 50% of his annual ‘salary’ is brought in via deals with Nike, Siemens, Chevron and Unilever. While Beckham participated in advertisements with the likes of PepsiCo and Vodafone due to his well-developed image, based upon good looks and a generally clean image, Ronaldinho has not been blessed with luscious South American looks like his Brazilian compatriot Kaka, one of the faces of Giorgio Armani, but nevertheless is at the summit of football’s financial charts, solely because his ability is so widely, globally adored.
He is already tied to Barcelona until 2010 – by which time he will be 30 years of age – but under the terms of the latest contract offer, which was put on the table as a result of AC Milan’s particularly keen interest, he will earn over £8m per year as his basic salary, until the age of 34. Add on performance-related bonuses, and that figure could easily rise by another £2m annually if Barca retained their La Liga title and Champions League crown. Barcelona wanted to justify the new deal, which sees a 33% rise in Ronaldinho’s basic salary, by taking a small cut of his image rights, which accounted for 61% of earnings in the one-year period. But recently Ronaldinho’s older brother and agent, Roberto de Assis, appears to have negotiated so that his client will take 100% of all earnings.
It reputed that Milan offered Ronaldinho a personal signing-on fee of €100m in early August of this summer, but the £18m signing from Paris Saint Germain rejected the Italian club's advances.
RONNIE’S POTENTIAL EARNINGS
2005-06
Annual salary plus bonus: £6,071,583.00
Other income: £9,480,191.00
Total: £15,551,774
2006-07 with new contract
Annual salary: £8,083,501.97
Potential bonuses: £2,000,000
Potential other income: up to £9,480,191.00
Prospective total: £19,563,692.97
Prospective earnings based on period beginning September 2006. 2005-06 figures based on April-April period.
With the ‘Ronaldinho’ brand name still in its growth stage, the money earned in a 12 month period from commercial projects is unlikely to waver. The 26-year-old will have signed long-term deals in the last year and before - for example a 10-year contract with Nike and further contracts with Pepsi, Cadbury and Unilever, which will boost last year’s sum though not necessarily the up-and-coming 12 months. In 2005 “little Ronaldo†was able to renew his contract which goes until 2008 to 2010, also increasing earnings in doing so. Due to his current success and comparably young age, his future income will be way above the average and that of top earners such as David Beckham.
Despite underperforming at the World Cup, the three weeks he was in Germany, playing for Brazil, raised his image worldwide. It would have been the first time fans in the USA and Far East, where the most lucrative markets exist, will have been able to observe the much-heralded Ronaldinho. Barcelona’s recent tour of the USA and the continuing marketing in countries like Japan will raise the value of football’s hottest icon. Ronnie picked up £9.48m in ‘other income’ and even a minor drop in that figure will still raise his net revenue in 2006-07 by way of his new contract.
David Beckham is set to work hard and concentrate on his football from now on – or so he says. At 31, he appears to be fading as a player and Real Madrid’s cash cow. Ronaldinho, at five years younger, has his relentless smile and vast skill which mean that he is expected enjoy at least five more years of marketing campaigns and enough money to enrich all of Spain’s citizens. As long as Ronaldinho sustains his tremendous performances, he can preserve the number one spot as footballer and earner. But he must take heed of the liabilities if the mix of playing and acting are not appropriate.
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Say no to the monkey!!!! Kaka is happy here. Everybody is. Why would we wanna ruin that by bringing a player with a crazy *** salary? 
