Chelsea players are fourth best team paid in world sport BUT are only Premier League side to make top 10
Chelsea's moneybags stars were confirmed as the fourth best paid team in world sport on an average just under £69,000 a week.
But the Stamford Bridge club, who have been bankrolled by the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich since 2003, are the only Premier League side to break into the top 10 of the world's sporting pay league.
And amazingly only one other top English club - Manchester United - even makes the top 30.
Chelsea are the fourth best paid sports side in the world
The pitchers and hitters of the New York Yankees, who won their 27th baseball World Series title last year, are the richest on an average £90,000 a man, according to a report which will be published on Friday by website <a class="postlink" href="http://www.sportingintelligence.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.sportingintelligence.com</a>.
The salaries are for first-team players only, do not include their commercial deals, and are based on the 2009 season in baseball, 2007-08 in football and 2008-09 in basketball.
And they show that while European fans despair at the riches paid to footballers, it is in America that the real money is earned.
Real Madrid's galacticos are on £81,444 a man and Barcelona's stars make £78,231 - but Manchester City are way down in 86th place.
Nick Harris, the website editor who compiled the research, 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 it.
NICE BIG EARNERS
1 New York Yankees ......... 89,897
2 Real Madrid ...................... 81,444
3 Barcelona ......................... 78,231
4 Chelsea ............................. 68,946
5 Dallas Mavericks ............ 68,343
6 LA Lakers ......................... 65,563
7 Detroit Pistons ................. 64,234
8 Cleveland Cavaliers ........ 63,529
9 Boston Celtics .................. 62,813
10 New York Knicks ............ 62,769
(First team’s average pay in sterling)
'It is possible in the case of the Yankees that their total salary bill has exceeded the Major League ceiling.
'But NBA sides make a strong showing because they will have only 12 to 13 individuals on their playing roster compared to maybe 60 who will see first-team action in American football.'
Three Indian Premier League teams make the top 30 - a sign of the new riches in cricket. And talking of new riches, Harris estimates that average wages for Manchester City first-teamers will jump from £1.4m a year to £1.9m.
He said: 'Fueled by Abu Dhabi cash, they are the exception where most teams are fairly stable - but even that rise will not put them any higher than the sixth highest payers in the Premier League (from 10th in 2008), and wouldn't put them inside the world's top 50 teams, let alone the top 30.'
