How Footballers ACTUALLY Get Paid & Do They Avoid Tax?

There is a lot of confusion surrounding how professional footballers are paid, and how much tax they pay, with some people suggesting online that certain Premier League players or footballers as a whole avoid paying huge amounts of tax.
So in today's video, HITC Sevens takes a look at how football / soccer players are paid, how they are taxed, and how their finances & contributions shape up in comparison to other high earners.

[@saintroddy]

If Alfie didn't make football videos for a living, he'd either be a history teacher or an accountant.

[@gazamidori2866]

I imagine he'd write history books considering he wrote a book already

[@diegoharry2657]

🎯Ikr - he's excellent

[@justawarlord]

he'd take care of his wives black son

[@fadhilideche2831]

I remember he mentioned in one of his Q&A's that he would have liked to go into academic philosophy were it not for football writing.

[@ctid7037]

@@justawarlord if his wife was white it would be mixed stupid ass who focus so much on skin colour

[@robnixon8832]

Alfie is the smartest Hull fan to have ever existed.

[@MarkWTK]

That's a low bar to clear

[@jackkelesoglu9640]

天吉Mark and he clears it by a country mile

[@seanb907]

I don’t know if you are going to see this but you are up there with my favourite KZbinrs. Could you do a video on the life of footballers playing in league one and two.

[@Not_Sal]

That’s would be very interesting

[@areebsiddiqui758]

Afie, you're the first person to make finances sound interesting. Great video.

[@SLimSHaDyLFC]

Day 11 of asking: 7 extinct or less commonly used positions in football today. Eg. Sweeper, Wide Midfielders.

[@___________________.]

Day 40: Final East German First League teams, where are they now?

[@nyashakchirume6334]

"Sir Marcus of Rashford." I liked that.

[@martintielemans]

Hi Alfie, Can you make a video on how clubs generate income? I would like to hear this. Also to know why people claim that they are paying the players' wages.

[@ifandafydd7432]

That's the one thing that really gets under my skin, how people get offended by the amount footballers get paid as if it's tax payer's money. Do they think that footballers' wages comes from the same reserve that funds the emergency services or something?

[@spyros219]

@@ifandafydd7432 And to be fair, people shouldn't complain about how much footballers earn, because they also pay high taxes to the state.If they weren't paid so much,this money would probably go to the owners pocket,who pay a smaller percentage of taxes.

[@niialaadjei4668]

Ticket sales Tv rights Image rights Sponsorship deals * sometimes player sales

[@nickgrch]

As the old saying goes; 'You learn something new every day.' Great video mate. Broken down & simplified brilliantly.

[@merolover4208]

Can you do a Viedeo of all DDR-Oberliga teams in the season that it existed and looking where are they now.

[@fadhilideche2831]

Hey, Alfie. Would you be willing to post links to some of your sources in the description for future documentary-style videos?

[@morganbruggeman4275]

Hey, Alfie. Would you be willing to post links to some of your sources in the description for future documentary-style videos?

[@nadim2911]

@@morganbruggeman4275 Hey, Alfie. Would you be willing to post links to some of your sources in the description for future documentary-style videos?

[@mcorriette1]

I don’t care how rich you are, seeing £117,000 taken from you wage a month in tax has to sting

[@Mallrat83Photography]

I know lol 🤣 If I was a footballer, I'd never look at the contract I was about to sign. I'd just make sure my agent and lawyers have given it the all clear and just sign it. Then I'd never open up my payslip. I'd just see what I have in my bank each month and be happy lol

[@thirtythreehz]

@@Mallrat83Photography not really, even if they took a stupid amount youd still know youll be living comfy

[@yourdadhasadogfilter2505]

@@Mallrat83Photography That's how athletes and artists go broke lmao

[@yourdadhasadogfilter2505]

Especially when the people who make the rules look down on the place you came from and didn't really play any part in your success

[@azza2473]

The best way to think of it is that it was never your money in the first place. Especially national insurance contributions.

[@hunafour905]

Your channel is exceptional and you're a genius, focussing not only on the field but everything happening around 'the ball'. I wish you work more on the tactical side of the game.. discussing tactics and the idea behind those..

[@robbiemackintosh2488]

Videos like these are great, really interesting and informative. I think it’s really good that you’re not afraid to venture into politics when you must to clear up some of the rubbish that’s out there. Keep up the great work as always.

[@jumpoff8515]

Alfie mate your videos are so informative I feel like you know everything

[@TeamGeist06]

Hitc sevens is one of the only channels where I watch every video in its entirety and like every video before watching.

[@gabdie7188]

As an accountant (unemployed at the time being), I found this video very interesting and knowledgeable. Great piece of content, Alfie! 👌👌👌

[@akhiln16]

This was a great video! Please make more related to Finance in Football

[@amiamaira3636]

Enjoyed every bit of this Top quality stuff

[@RajatKumar-ui1sn]

As a chartered accountant student in India and since India draws most of it taxation structure from Britain,thanks to colonisation, I really appreciate you making this video...and I must say it was a very great one. Keep up the good work.

[@lioncactus1906]

Was still watching😉 and if im honest i prefer the vids you make on topics where you go in depth of the subject above the lists vids you make.

[@ajibola138]

Amazing video! More of this please

[@karlfroberg520]

I consider myself a huge nerd so I absolutely Love this stuff even though it's hardly a smoking gun worth of shock value. Keep bringing the quality stuff!

[@toasted_heretic]

Very well said, thank you.

[@AlphstarYT]

This is a really good video. Very underrated

[@doomesdayboy]

I enjoyed this video, please more make videos like this and historical ones too. Thank you

[@LvrdRits]

Great video Alfie ❤

[@capa1575]

Alfie, you are quality, your personality, your knowledge of ball and your political opinions are great bro. Keep up the amazing work.

[@AndyNigel762]

Alfie your videos are top tier

[@kara0kech1ck]

Great video Alfie!

[@jamesmerget1504]

Would you be able to make a video on the depth of the french talent pool at the moment? Being from the United States I love all these videos as footballing resources like this can sometimes be difficult to find

[@philipjones9793]

He's not correct with his amount at the 45% straight off because it goes through the basic rate first before higher rate bands.

[@alexanderallison7131]

Great video, Alfie

[@ili4707]

Awesome, another video on finance!

[@olayinkaamara385]

Good video as usual 👍

[@jojoforson9323]

As someone studying accounting, the economics of football in this vid is very interesting. More vids like this plz

[@lovxiv]

keep it up with videos like this !

[@pulproman6892]

Great video. Those tax brackets certainly are a pinch.

[@abutimelanin]

Such educational videos on football are important.

[@luketees]

Great Video, Enjoyable

[@DannyB_7]

That intro had me rolling. No holding back.

[@strikes_again]

Very eye opening. This won’t stop the keyboard warriors but a well worded and detailed account. Thanks HITC7s

[@TheFMGaffer]

How does this get no views? This is way more interesting than a lot of list videos

[@steel.oneill]

Great video

[@valentineoragbakosi378]

Nice educative videos

[@BOABModels]

You mentioning money going untouched for retirement is something which people often neglect to mention. Footballers often are retired by their mid-30s and unless they go straight into coaching, management or journalism, are often then without an income.

[@pierfrancescocosta6336]

Hello, Alfie! I wanted to bring to your attention two very interesting stories from South Korea, if you'd like to. Regarding your videos about "Rise and fall" and "What on Earth is going on" of some teams around the world, I wanted to suggest the recent story of K-League 2 team Gyeongnam. Since their foundation in 2006, they always featured in the top-tier of K-League until 2014. In 2017, they won the second-tier championship and a rollercoaster of emotions started for them: in fact, the following year, thanks to key players such as Brazilian prolific goalscorer Marcão, Japanese winger Takahiro Kunimoto and native defender Park Ji-Soo, they even finished runners-up of K-League and competed for the first time in the AFC Champions League. Unfortunately, in 2019, after the departure of some key members and an incoming crisis, they were eliminated in the group stage of CL and finished 11th out of 12 teams in the K-League, eventually ending up losing the promotion/relegation play-off against second-tier team Busan I-Park, thus being relegated again. Today, they've technically ended the crucial play-off match against Suwon FC in a draw, but they've missed promotion due to placement rules that are probably going to cause some controversy (Gyeongnam advanced to the final after beating Daejeon Hana Citizen due to the same mechanism). I'm going to write the other suggestion in the answer space... 😅

[@pierfrancescocosta6336]

The worst aspect of today's match for Gyeongnam is that Suwon FC (which was losing 1-0) was given a penalty in the injury time. Forward An Byong-Jun scored it, thus giving Suwon its second promotion ever to K-League 1 literally at the last minute. The strangest aspect about An Byong-Jun is that he was born in Japan, he has been representing North Korea... but he was deemed to be a native player for Suwon FC this season! I think many footballers in the Asian continent (for example, Japanese-born South Koreans, also known as "Zainichi" Koreans) and, probably, all over the world have been under the same treatment, so I think it would be interesting and funny to make a video about this type of... "border-line" players. 😅 I hope I haven't been boring and I send you much love for your works from Italy. Best wishes! 😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇮🇹

[@theskankingpigeon965]

@@pierfrancescocosta6336 This sounds really interesting, I hope he sees this!

[@pierfrancescocosta6336]

@@theskankingpigeon965 So do I... : ) Thank you!

[@caolamturner3278]

Remember guys you can't get arrested for tax evasion if you don't pay tax. 😏👍

[@mattiaercole]

uh what?

[@torernning8652]

Al Capone...

[@ifandafydd7432]

That's exactly how you get arrested for tax evasion..

[@tahatanvir6107]

so you're basically EVADING tax if you don't pay it

[@knock-knockwhosthere9933]

The add-on penalty will be even more severe when you eventually get caught.

[@jackjones9198]

Could you do a video looking biggest overachievers / surprise packages for each of the premier league seasons e.g. Leicester 15/16 or Sheffield United 19/20

[@alexzviovich5407]

I don’t remember if you already have but could you make a video about the side ventures that footballers have taken on

[@jacksonirving4463]

This man never fails to interest me no matter what topic he is speaking on

[@kingshuksaha9204]

Please make more football finance videos!

[@abutimelanin]

Sir Marcus of Rashford 😂🔥!!!

[@advayk]

Helping eliminate financial illiteracy amongst football fans too. What a fucking channel

[@anuragroy4530]

Praise him or not, he is SIR MARCUS.

[@Lshadows13]

No.

[@anuragroy4530]

@Stevie D Vee D, big DD daemn

[@Not_Sal]

I really don’t get it. Why do people feel such a need to paint footballers as villains?

[@Cyanova1312]

They are the best target for anger at the rich (from the perspective of the rich, at least) because A) they aren't actually that rich, B) they are largely working class, and C) they aren't usually bosses so they don't hold the same sort of power as most rich people.

[@mayolicious69]

Jealousy, and what Cya Nova said

[@Junior12997]

@@Cyanova1312 well footballers getting paid over 100k a week are basically rich 😂

[@iamcamazotz]

I always wondered How the financial system works in football with salaries and taxes.

[@Jonathan2342]

Not sure about the UK. But any corporation that I’ve ever been a part of pays their owners through dividends. For easy of bookkeeping, you record the payments throughout the year as shareholder loan then at year end, you move the amount to dividend and do a t5 for taxes. The reason why you do that, here is because you don’t need to pay cpp ( approx 6-7%) and you get to benefit from personal tax credits and the lower corporate tax rates. With normal income, charity spending usually gives you a tax credit on those earnings. You are still paying the money out. But at least it isn’t going to the government.

[@tobipfeifer3903]

Can you do a video on how transfer fees are payed and who the money goes to?

[@love-thyhuman5722]

Rashford will forever be a legend in my eyes, coming form a Liverpool fan, protect him at all cost

[@Larryandbob]

great video

[@Eclipce051]

Really good

[@chrisadlc1]

Do a ‘Worst cases of second season syndrome’ !!!!

[@SEGASaturnLad]

Alfie! Please do a video on Islam Feruz and what a warning he is to young players.

[@chvrchx]

Alfie is a godsend 🙏🏿 now if he’d only just do a Ronaldinho episode in the style of Zidane....

[@maxwellpekich4985]

could you make a video on the Middlesbrough North Korea friendship

[@gurururuwarararara8164]

Dum dum here, what's this about?

[@robertwilloughby8050]

@@gurururuwarararara8164 All of North Korea's group matches in the 1966 world cup were played at Ayresome Park which was Middlesbrough's ground before the Riverside. The people of Middlesbrough took the North Koreans to their hearts as they (chaperoned, of course!) were often seen walking around Middlesbrough on non-playing days. Pak Doo Ik (he who scored the goal that beat the Italians 1-0!) even said that if he'd been allowed to marry a Middlesbrough girl (spoiler alert - he wasn't!) he would have done.

[@gurururuwarararara8164]

@@robertwilloughby8050 That’s really interesting, I had no clue! Great video idea my man

[@Abhayask24]

Can you make a video on how much the owner's have invested in the clubs they own

[@ericbunnvik2329]

Alfie, your videos are true class, but those thumbnails need some work

[@NO-ts5yt]

9:49 why is Paul McGinn getting shown when he’s talking about dodging tax

[@dogbertinahat]

top 7 utility players either right now or of all time, can play in more than one position eg milner who has player full back, midfielder and under pep a false nine (example of utility player, he may or may not be in top 7)

[@yasin_GD]

Day 2 DDR Oberliga teams 1990-1991: where are they now?

[@shanedowney7791]

We need HITC History and HITC Economics

[@PradeepPurple]

People saying how Rashford is using tax loopholes dont understand "marginal tax rates" either.....but they are experts on taxation and accounting you see, they saw this thing shared on Fac.....

[@thomasgoodinge6766]

Do worst injury hit teams since the premier league was founded in europe - reference to Liverpool currently who have half their first teamers injured

[@princenkansah5966]

You did your very best to explain but it's not clear for me.. But thanks anyways for this video!

[@wadepemberton9025]

More how much would legends cost today videos pllllzzzz 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼... Day 4 of asking

[@ksway8471]

I enjoyed this video; can you make a video explaining the importance of football managers

[@raymonmansour879]

More videos like this!

[@V8HiluxZX6R]

I know I am late to this video, but how did you get through it all without bringing up Andrey Arshavin and his tax discovery upon signing for Arsenal. He thought he had negotiated himself a nice pay rise from the transfer, only to find that after paying his 40% on the bulk of his earnings he was taking home less money than when he was at Zenit.

[@tinnguyen2031]

How does TV rights and tickets work as part of a club’s income?

[@johnp8131]

Good explanation! However, the likes of the Mail and Express ignore this as it contradicts the views or the Gammons.

[@neilturner6749]

As a former Private Banker specialising in Sports clients I can generally endorse the salary and tax principles espoused here, but Alfie has ignored a key element, which is that most PL players are not UK Citizens, in fact many are not even EU Citizens, and therefore are Non-Domicile ineligible for UK Tax I.e. theoretically they can be paid Offshore via Tax Haven bank accounts and only pay tax on the % of their income that they physically spend within the UK. I know for a fact that some clubs will not allow this avoidance due to the risk of reputational damage, but I’m sure it does go on...

[@SAIVP12]

Do a video about terrorist attacks happened in football. Also love all your vids Alfie ♡♡♡♡

[@lightraseasala9962]

7 best stylish coaches

[@lodevermeiren3152]

Please do a video about the 7 best Belgian Footballers before their golden generation!

[@Swayaaa]

These image rights deals include EA sports FIFA player images right? So Zlatan and all players are actually getting paid for using their likeness in the games

[@blackboywiththesauce2359]

Pulisic most marketable??

[@dindjarin5939]

Last 7 Treble Winning Sides Ranked

[@markubani4966]

When your to young to understand all of this. Good vid any way

[@dayo20042]

Do a 7 players you didn’t know got relegated

[@brandonhey7797]

Misconceptions about old-school football (before 1992 preferably)?

[@DrMaiXiang]

floating math equations.gif

[@Qwepzy]

Impossible to tax avoid on base salary, Very possible to tax avoid on Image rights. Simple

[@djalland1]

I used to believe the same myths over footballer wages, until several years ago when I started working for a company who handled the pension administrationfor the playing and coaching staff of one of the Big 6 Premier League clubs and was surprised to see they were payed the same way as the rest of us, just with considerably more zeroes. It was also interesting to see how much their eventual flop of a new manager at the time was paid. Not as much as I expected, to be honest.

[@jamiejohnson5356]

How did you get access to his accounts?

[@nickysturzu1290]

How about biographies on footballers?

[@shaheemjackson283]

Video suggestion: A documentary on why most players do not become referees after retirement

[@atulchoudhary4617]

IDEA: BEST KITS EVERS

[@anthonyohare8369]

Best 7 football kits of all time

[@simonhaugan7926]

Absolutely love the small involvement of politics in your videos