Raheem Sterling supposedly saw his ‘payslip’ leaked on social media, and it revealed exactly how much Premier League stars can earn.
Footballers earning staggering salaries is nothing new. As of April 2024, the median gross annual salary for a full-time employee in the UK stands at £37,430, according to the ONS.
Even at the lower end of the Premier League, players earn substantial wages, with the average top-flight footballer in England making around £3.4 million per year, according to Capology. At the top, Manchester City stars Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland reportedly take home £400,000 and £525,000 per week, respectively. To put this into perspective, Haaland’s weekly earnings are 14 times what the average UK full-time worker makes in an entire year.
While clubs and players rarely confirm these figures, Raheem Sterling’s alleged payslip was leaked back in 2019 while he was at Manchester City. The document, reportedly left in his car at a garage and later posted online, suggested a monthly net salary of £1,160,634.94, consisting of £708,333.33 in basic pay and a £1.5 million bonus. Before tax deductions, the total stood at £2,208,333.33. However, neither Manchester City nor Sterling ever verified the authenticity of the payslip.
Currently on loan at Arsenal from Chelsea, Sterling has struggled to make an impact, failing to score in 11 league appearances this season. Despite this, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta remains supportive, believing Sterling’s experience can still influence the title race.
“He has to have it because we really need him,” Arteta said last week. “Raheem is so experienced… that could be relevant to the next game, to the next action.”
