16. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) – £34.5m
The most decorated player in English football established himself in the Manchester United first team at the age of 17 and has remained there ever since. While at United the Welshman has won an astonishing 12 Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two Champions Leagues.
He is also the only player to have scored in every Premier League season since its inauguration in 1992.
Lucrative book deals and numerous multi-million pound endorsements came his way through sponsors such as Reebok and Fuji. Now 39, Giggs can no longer command such massive sponsorship deals, although he continues to enjoy a relationship with Reebok and earns £75,000-a-week at Old Trafford.
The verteran midfielder may have been even higher up our Top 50, but his off-the-pitch reputation took a battering when he took to the High Court in 2011 and won a super-injunction to keep details of an affair with model Imogen Thomas out of the press. He subsequently lost a damages claim against The Sun in relation to the matter, with the whole legal process costing him at least £1 million.
Giggs also suffered substantial legal bills and losses sustained when a property venture with England coach Gary Neville left the pair £1.5m out of pocket.
However, assets in Ryan Giggs Ltd continue to rise and latest accounts show them to be at £5.2m, as of the end of 2011. His property portfolio includes a family home in Worsley worth in the region of £3m.
He has a further 12 current or previous company director or secretary appointments.