LONDON: Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o is the wealthiest foreign-born English Premier League (EPL) player with a net worth of £39m according to a Wealth-X list that also includes players from Spain, Argentina and the Czech Republic.

Cameroonian-born Eto’o signed a one-year deal with Chelsea in August 2013 for an undisclosed fee, although several media reports claimed he took a substantial pay cut to move to the English club from Russian football club, Anzhi Makhachkala.

The combined fortunes of the 10 footballers on the list is £245 million (US$402 million), £10 million less than the combined net worth of the individuals on Wealth-X’s list of the wealthiest English-born EPL players. Wayne Rooney topped that list – and also ranks first on the combined list of English and foreign born EPL footballers – with his £45 million (US$ 73 million) personal fortune.

Three Chelsea players appear in the list, and collectively their combined wealth totals £87 million (US$142 million). Manchester City is also represented by three players on the list, with a combined net worth of £68 million (US$ 111 million).

Below are the top 5 wealthiest foreign-born EPL players:

Rank Name Country of Origin Team Net Worth (£ million) Net Worth (US$ million)
1 Samuel Eto’o Cameroon Chelsea 39 64
2 Ryan Giggs Wales Manchester Utd 27 45
3 Fernando Torres Spain Chelsea 26 42
4 Yaya Toure Ivory Coast Manchester City 25 41
5 Sergio Aguero Argentina Manchester City 24 39

 

Michael Byrne, Wealth-X UK director, said: “The results of this survey may come to a surprise for many, who may have been under the impression that foreign-born EPL players receive more rewarding compensation than their English counterparts.

“English-born footballers in the EPL amass greater sponsorship and are therefore in a position to accumulate greater overall net worth. This run-down certainly produces more surprises than the English-born list.”

Download the full list at http://www.wealthx.com/articles/2014/chelsea’s-eto’o-tops-list-of-wealthiest-foreign-born-english-premier-league-footballers/