Joe Marler was left stunned after discovering the highest paycheck of Jimmy Bullard’s career.
Marler recently made headlines after announcing his retirement from international rugby at the age of 34 – insisting it was ‘this time’.
Although he will still play for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins, Marler is approaching the days on the sidelines and in the expert studio, as Bullard has undertaken.
And Bullard recently appeared on Marler’s Things People Do podcast, where they discussed the former Fulham star’s highest pay package.
Marler asked: ‘What did you do as a football player in your heyday?’. Bullard replied: ‘My biggest contract was £50,000 a week’.
Joe Marler was left stunned after discovering the highest paycheck of Jimmy Bullard’s career
Bullard played for Fulham, Hull and Wigan, among others, during his career
Marler looked visibly shocked as his jaw dropped, before replying: “£50,000 a week?!”
Bullard was later asked what he assumed today’s Premier League footballers earn, to which he said: “I’d have to say a few Man City lads must be on £350,000 a week.”
According to Capology, Man City’s biggest earner is Kevin de Bruyne, reportedly earning £400,000 a week.
Bullard played for the likes of Fulham, Hull and Wigan during his playing career before finally retiring in 2012.
Marler, meanwhile, has made headlines for his decision to retire from international rugby after previously retiring from England in 2018, but he had a change of heart.
He has decided that now is the right time to end his long stint of national service, which started way back in June 2012, against South Africa in Durban.
Days after his social media posts about the Haka sparked outrage and debate, Marler delivered a very different message, about his desire to prioritize his family; wife Daisy and children Jasper, Maggie, Felix and Pixie. “It’s time for me to move on,” he said.
Bullard revealed that his highest wages during his football career were around £50,000 per week
England legend Marler recently announced his retirement from international rugby at the age of 34
‘I feel very sad, but also very proud. Playing for England always felt like living in a dream bubble. I kept waiting for it to pop and suddenly I would become a sloppy, fat 16 year old again. But you know when it’s time.
‘I can’t do what I used to do as well as I used to. I can’t keep talking about my family as my priority unless that is actually the case. I want to keep all these memories of my career, both good and bad, untouched. I don’t want to leave my house while my children are crying. I’m ready to make the change.
‘I am incredibly grateful that I have been able to play 95 times for my country. I have to pinch myself. Did I really do that? I’m grateful to all those people who showed patience while I messed up over and over again. I am grateful to the fans who made every match special. “I’m grateful to the teammates who pushed next to or behind me, and to those who could do everything with a ball that I can’t do.”