Watching the Champions League quarterfinal between Manchester United and Chelsea, I started wondering about how the player wages came to be perceived as grossly inflated. And then, Van der Saar showed me why they get paid as much as they do.
The tie is delicately balanced at 1-0 in favor of United. Anelka is put through on goal (well, slightly wide of goal perhaps). Van der Saar, with barely a moment to make a decision as to whether stay put or come out to clear, opts for the latter. For a moment, it looks to be a calamitous one as Anelka runs past him with the ball. But a last ditch tackle by the old man and he manages to clear it, as Old Trafford heaves a collective sigh of relief.
Footballers are paid for moments like those.
A preliminary research shows that Manchester United made approximately 45.8 million Euros through prize money and television rights in the Champions League when they reached the QF last year. Progress at each stage means a huge increase in that receipt.
What I'm driving at it is that, that tackle probably earned his team a million euro or two. Well, in addition to all the vital contributions by his team-mates.
On a related note, it looks like not a lot of football clubs manage to turn out a profit. Follow this blog for some wonderful insights on how the business of football is run.
Quick. Guess which is the most profitable club in Serie A. Milan? Inter? Juve perhaps? The answer, surprisingly (to me atleast) is Fiorentina.

PS: I'll be trying out this new format of posting.Titles: Non-mandatory. Length:Anywhere between 0 and infinity. Focus: Anything that piques my interest.
Filching the idea from here.