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Michael Ballack

Germany’s captain, 30, joined Chelsea last summer from Bayern Munich on a free transfer. His form may have been patchy but his earnings are stellar at more than £120,000 a week, reportedly making Ballack the UK’s best-paid footballer alongside teammate Andriy Shevchenko (qv). Sponsorship deals, including Coca-Cola and T-Mobile, add about £2m to his annual earnings.