Rooney's whopping £45m earnings puts him top of Britain's football's rich list

                                                     His Manchester United team may be floundering in ninth in the Premier League table, but star striker Wayne Rooney tops the rich list for English footballers.

The usual suspects make up the top 10, with Rio Ferdinand, Chelsea pair Frank Lampard and John Terry and Steven Gerrard all in the top five, but West Ham's Joe Cole is the surprise inclusion, coming in sixth ahead of the likes of Ashley Cole, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young. James Milner is the youngest player on the list at 27.                                                                                                                                            

Rooney, 28, is head and shoulders above his nearest rival, United team-mate Ferdinand, with an estimated net worth of a staggering £45million. The man England are banking their World Cup hopes on earns approximately £250,000 a week before taxes on his current deal, and also earns through endorsement deals such as Nike.                                                                                                                                               

Ferdinand, 35, is £8m behind Rooney with an estimated net worth of £37m, according to a rich list from Wealth-X. The defender has numerous business interests including the Rosso restaurant and his #5 magazine.

Chelsea's Frank Lampard is third on the list, with £31m, while former England captain John Terry shares fourth spot with the current England skipper Steven Gerrard, both with £29m.

There is then a sizable drop to sixth place, where surprise name Joe Cole, worth £22m, sits. Cole has his own business venture, Joe Cole Promotions, and owns various properties including in the Caribbean and Dubai. He earned £90,000 per week while at Liverpool, and the club also gave him a £3m pay-off when he exited Anfield.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Cole also received £2m from Hello! magazine for the wedding photos from his marriage to Carly Zucker in 2009, but donated the money to charity.

Chelsea's third player on the list, Ashley Cole, has an estimated worth of £20m. The left back was previously higher on the list, but his divorce from Cheryl Cole in 2010 impacted hugely on his assets.

Injured Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is worth £16m, while Ashley Young and James Milner, the youngest player on the list at 27, share the final spot both worth an estimated £13m.         see the list below..                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              THE ENGLISH FOOTBALLERS' RICH LIST

1) Wayne Rooney (£45M)

2) Rio Ferdinand (£37m)

3) Frank Lampard (£31m)

4) John Terry, Steven Gerrard (both £29m)

6) Joe Cole (£22m)

7) Ashley Cole (£20m)

8) Michael Carrick (£16m)

9) Ashley Young, James Milner (both £13m)

                                                                                                                                                  posted by Emanto Ngaloru  Nov 12, 2013.