Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has revealed just how much players earned in the 1960s, it is fair to say things have moved on since then!
Elite footballers are renowned for making millions each year for playing the sport they love, with eye-watering sums often touted when contract renewals are agreed.
It has not always been that way, however, with the really big money only truly coming into the English game after the introduction of the Premier League in 1992.
Since then, the game has continued to grow commercially and players have been able to acquire wealth beyond their wildest dreams, and comparisons with their predecessors outline just how much.
Aldridge took to Twitter on Tuesday morning and revealed that he had stumbled on an old wage slip for the Liverpool squad back in August 1960.
I’m haves a clear out and found this !!The lfc squad wages 1960 ?How times have changed folks ?Top Respect for these fantastic players who helped put the club where it is?? pic.twitter.com/4YjlvY9zKO
— John Aldridge (@Realaldo474) January 16, 2024
It was met with the caption: “I’m having a clear-out and found this! The LFC squad wages 1960. How times have changed folks. Top Respect for these fantastic players who helped put the club where it is.”
The paper understandably has some wear and tear given that it is now over six decades old, but the figures on it are fascinating.
Joint-top earner and record appearance holder Ian Callaghan took home just £23 per week in those days, along with the likes of Alan A’Court, Gerry Byrne, Dave Hickson, Roger Hunt and Ronnie Moran.
Legendary winger Billy Liddell might have wanted a word with his agent at that time, with his pay dipping just below the top bracket at £20!
£23 in 1960 is worth £663.83 today
$4 bonus is £115ANNUAL is equivalent to £40,508 today
(Average in UK is £34,963 )Weekly total is £14,921 so ANNUAL wage bill was £775,892
Today it is £134,932,000 (174 times more)— Molioni (@molioni) January 16, 2024
Other notables include the backroom staff, with future managers Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan picking up £16 and £17 weekly respectively.
Bill Shankly doesn’t appear to have been included within the sheet, but one would imagine his wage fell in line with those at the top end of the pay scale.
It is difficult to determine how much these sums would be worth in the modern day given the rate of inflation, but according to the Office for National Statistics, the average weekly earnings for a male in manual work was around £14.
For further reference, Liverpool’s current top earner, Mohamed Salah, is reported to be on a salary worth around £350,000 per week, more than 15,000 times more than Callaghan in 1960!
Nowadays, top-level football is largely viewed as an immense source of income for professionals, but it hasn’t always been that way!
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