Britain has become Europe's 'tax paradise' for foreign footballers, according to a report by a leading finance firm.
Players have to pay substantially less in tax and national insurance in the UK than in any of the other 'big five' countries of European football.
The report by Arthur Andersen's Sports Consulting Group (SCORE) says that players in England pay 39 pe cent of their gross income in tax and insurance, while the figure is 45 per cent in Italy, 46 per cent in Spain, 50 per cent in Germany and 57 per cent in France.
It means a player earning stg£1million a year gross will be stg£110,000 better off in Britain than in Germany, and bring home stg£180,000 more than a player on the same pay in France.
It also highlights why one quarter of the players at Premier League clubs now come from outside of the UK.
PA