They are monthly or annual remunerations, depending on the type of contract, which help to fatten the sum that the stars earn for the spectacle inside the fields. In fact, this type of reward is the privilege of a select class of footballers. For the absolute majority of players, the only source of income is still the good old signed wallet. “More than 90% of the athletes earn a maximum of 3,000 reais per month and receive only for registering with their wallet. Only 3%, those who earn more than 50,000 reais a month, usually earn in other ways”, says businessman Wagner Ribeiro, who advises idols Kaká, from São Paulo, and Robinho, from Santos. For wealthy stars, the main way to reinforce the budget is the right to use an image, a financial agreement that allows the use of the player’s figure in advertising agreements made by the team. “The club really exploits the athlete’s image and needs to pay for that”, says Dagoberto Fernando dos Santos, executive director of the Santos team.
Another remuneration that some stars ask the clubs are the so-called gloves, an additional amount that is usually paid at the beginning of the contract. And the third income alternative, the popular “bicho”, is that extra prize that the team gives to the athletes when the team achieves a good performance. In addition to these remunerations paid by the club, consecrated players can still sign millionaire personal advertising contracts with large companies. Thanks to this strategy, the English star David Beckham, of Manchester United, of England, and the Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, of Real Madrid, of Spain, manage to capture more than 16 million dollars a year each. In a recent list made by the French magazine France Football, the two appear as the best paid stars in the world.
It is from image rights that the largest portion of the monthly income of the great stars comes out.
26% – SIGNED PORTFOLIO
Almost all clubs pay salaries with registration and collection of taxes, as required by law. For the vast majority of Brazilian players, the formal contract is the only source of income. Millionaire stars, however, usually look for ways to circumvent the 27.5% Income Tax bite on their salaries
60% – IMAGE RIGHT
It is a contract that allows the exploitation of the star’s image in the team’s advertising campaigns. But in fact this form of payment is used to collect less labor taxes, in an agreement signed between two companies: the club and one that represents the athlete. In certain cases, players and clubs save 15% on taxes
7% – “BICHO”
It is an incentive paid when the team is doing well. In the past, the “bicho” came with each victory, but today the most common are goal agreements: you pay if the team reaches the final of a tournament, for example. The average of what a star earns from “bicho” per year is 7% of the total money he withdraws per month. That is, it is not such a great reward for those with a high salary
7% – GLOVES
It is a value offered to the player at the beginning of the contract. It can be paid all at once or in monthly installments – which is the case we used in this example. Many people say that this custom has become rare, but several businessmen confirm that players who earn more than 20 thousand reais a month usually ask for gloves to join another team.
Obs. Percentages calculated for the average monthly remuneration of a player who earns more than 50 thousand reais. As each contract is individual, percentages may vary