Chelsea's multi-millionaire squad are on course to share a staggering £14million in prize money if they complete an unprecedented Grand Slam this season. An incredible payment schedule has been agreed with Jose Mourinho’s men if they add the Champions League, Premiership and FA Cup to their Carling Cup success.
In addition to their salaries, Chelsea’s players will share £750,000 between them as reward for beating Valencia in the European Cup quarter-final on Tuesday evening — but there is a further £3m available if they go on to lift the trophy. Didier Drogba, who has played some part in all of Chelsea’s 32 Premiership matches this season and has competed in all three cup competitions, stands to make £737,000 in bonuses alone if they complete the Quadruple next month.
The incentive scheme devised by Chelsea is believed to be the biggest in football and the figures dwarf the £5.6m that will be paid to Manchester United’s players if they complete the Treble. Sir Alex Ferguson’s players are contractually entitled to receive £350,000 each if they can repeat the club’s astonishing triumph of 1999.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Co will earn £200,000 each for going all the way in Europe, £100,000 if they can snatch the Premiership title back from Chelsea and a further £50,000 if they can land Ferguson’s sixth FA Cup. The figures certainly outstrip the estimated £100,000 received by each member of the 1999 squad, but they still pale in comparison to the riches on offer at Stamford Bridge.
According to the payment schedule agreed between Chelsea’s management and players at the start of 2006-07, each member of the squad earns £10,000 for each win in the Champions League group phase and £2,000-a-man for a draw. After topping a group that also included Barcelona, Werder Bremen and Levski Sofia, the club then agreed to pay the squad — numbering no more than 20 players — a bonus of £500,000 for qualifying for the first knock-out phase.
When Chelsea played Porto over two legs last month in the round of last 16, the stakes were further raised. They were paid £2,000 for the draw against Mourinho’s former club in Portugal and £15,000 for the victory at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea then authorised a payment of £650,000 to be divided between a maximum squad of 20 players. Having earned a further sum of £750,000 for beating Valencia, they will divide another £1m between them if they overcome Liverpool over two legs in the semi-finals. There is a further £2m on offer if they win the final in Athens on May 23.
Chelsea players have already pocketed £1m between them for winning the Carling Cup against Arsenal and they stand to make another £1.5m if they win the FA Cup Final, or £500,000 if they finish runners-up. According to the schedule, Chelsea pay bonuses to the players one month after receiving the prize money from UEFA, but Mourinho's multi-millionaire squad can certainly afford to wait.
Simply for finishing in the top four of the Premiership, Chelsea's squad are paid £5,000 for each victory and £1,000 for each draw, Drogba is assured a minimum payment of £121,000 for his efforts so far in the League campaign. If he plays in all remaining League games and they are victories, it will boost that figure to £151,000. And if they go on to pip Manchester United to the post, the players will also divide a one-off bonus of £2.6m between them.