11. Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls) – £41m
Thierry Henry is Arsenal’s record goalscorer with 228 goals in eight glorious seasons that saw the club win the Premier League twice and the FA Cup three times. The former France international spent his final two years at the club as captain, and led them to the 2005-06 Champions League final.
He was part of the brilliant France team that won both the 1998 World Cup on home soil and the 2000 European Championship held in Belgium and Netherlands. He is also les Bleus’ all-time top goalscorer with 51.
Henry moved to Barcelona in 2007 for £16 million after signing a four-year deal with the Catalan club worth £4.6m a season. He enjoyed unprecedented success including a sextuple in 2009, which included La Liga, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup success.
Last year the striker returned to the Gunners for two months on loan, but he now plies his trade in the MLS with New York Red Bulls where he commands £60,000-a-week, with the potential to earn up to £373,000-a-year in success/appearance bonuses and rights.
Off-the-field, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winner enjoys a lucrative sponsorship deal with Puma, while he has been paid handsomely to release a book.
While he can no longer command the commercial deals enjoyed at his peak, his wealth has been greatly enhanced over the years by being one of the most successfully marketed footballers. His ‘va va voom’ TV ads for Renault are perhaps the most memorable.
He is a director of a company called Cluemere Ltd, which showed that as of 31 March 2012, it had ‘cash at bank’ of £55,489 and ‘assets’ worth £64,242. His properties include a £5.6m pad in Hampstead and a 5,607 square feet luxury apartment in New York that cost £9.2m in 2010.