Chapter 851 - 18: Poised to Become the Most Valuable Club! Reshaping World Football’s Salary Structure Singlehandedly! Champions League Begins (2)

However, that’s specific to certain years. Normally, their income isn’t as high as that of football, basketball, tennis, or golf.

"Fourth, James, basketball, 57 million pounds! Fifth, Roger Federer, tennis, 55.7 million pounds! Sixth, Kobe, basketball, 55.3 million pounds!

"Seventh, Phil Mickelson... Eighth, David Beckham... Ninth, Ronaldo... Tenth... Messi!

"Fourteenth, Ma’el, football, 39 million pounds!"

When Ma’el’s name slowly floated to the fourteenth position, the UK fans couldn’t sit still, and many questioning comments appeared on the screen.

"Only this much? How is that possible?"

"How is this calculated? Are bonuses not included? Even without bonuses, it can’t be just 39 million pounds."

"I feel Ma’el could be in the top five this year, how did he not even make the top ten?"

"As far as I know, his sponsorship contract and bonuses with Puma are already very high, nearly half of what’s listed, let alone anything else."

"What is the basis or logic for these statistics? Can the host explain?"

"....."

A host watched these comments, and after the top 20 incomes were announced, he smiled and said, "I’m sure everyone is a bit puzzled by this list. Why is Ma’el ranked so low? Why are Messi and Ronaldo ranked so low?

"I’ll explain it in a way that’s easy to understand... Forbes releases the athlete rankings every September. Has anyone considered that athlete income isn’t for the entire year?

"The 2012 list actually counts player incomes from June 2011 to June 2012.

"During this period, Ma’el’s salary was mostly around 100,000 pounds, and endorsements did not explode. If it weren’t for prize money far exceeding that of other stars, he might not have reached this position.

"The time when Ma’el’s value truly soared was after he won the undefeated Premier League title in May and the European Cup championship with various records in July.

"The income reflected from these achievements all came after June, so not being counted is normal."

The host took out some data and smiled, "The reason we started this program today is that we wanted to make some predictions with everyone about where Ma’el might land next year."

Currently, TV broadcasts don’t yet have the advanced capability for live voting, so the host simply said, "According to authoritative media All Sports, Ma’el’s after-tax income this year is likely to exceed 60 million pounds.

"This means that if next year Mayweather and Pacquiao don’t have heavyweight matches, and if other stars don’t see huge improvements, he will rank in the top three of this list.

"In fact, if he makes significant breakthroughs in major tournaments and influence, he might sit atop the list before turning 20 and become a true prodigy!"

The host showed amazement after saying this and then returned the discussion to the initial second question, "After hearing this, isn’t everyone curious? Why don’t Messi and Ronaldo, who have more honors and influence, have such income potential?"

The host stood up and walked to another large screen in the studio, where a photo of Messi and Ronaldo’s recent endorsement signing was displayed.

"There’s a misconception here. Actually, after I used Ma’el’s example to remind everyone, people still can’t step out of the two’s income from last year to predict theirs for this year.

"In the sports market, especially in the vast football market, there is a relatively solid salary structure.

"This structure not only exists within each club but also across the entire world of football.....

"Football is different from sports like boxing, golf, even basketball, and rugby.

"Europe’s Four Major Leagues have over 2,500 top athletes, with Second-tier European Leagues and some strong North and South American leagues having over 2,500 excellent athletes, and other leagues have over 5,000 high-income players.

"So many people are involved; if there isn’t a universally accepted standard that everyone follows, the market is bound to descend into chaos.

"This has already manifested in this year’s Chinese Super League, where Hengtai Team’s massive investment and exorbitant salaries forced other clubs to raise their investments, which will plant hidden threats for their future."

"....."

"Let’s return to Messi and Ronaldo. Their previous income potential was low because they had to adhere to the salary structure of the football market.

"In other words, in such a sport with numerous participants, where countless people rely on it for their livelihood, their previous income could hardly surpass top athletes in sports with relatively fewer participants.

"However, everything has changed this year... Do you wonder because of whom? I think your guess is correct, because of Ma’el.

"When Ma’el emerged in a way people had never seen before, when he earned a salary and bonuses no player under 20 ever did before, the salary structure was broken.

"Even though Messi and Ronaldo might very well know Ma’el’s current ability is close to or even equal to theirs, certain imbalances in emotions will undoubtedly exist within them.

"Anyone in that position would feel this way, just imagine, if you were Messi or Ronaldo, wouldn’t you leverage having more championships and a more stable long-term performance to demand a richer contract?

"You have many arguments, don’t you? Super rookie Ma’el can earn 60 million pounds this year, while you, known as the unrivaled duo, must secure 70 million pounds, right?"