1966 winners were paid just £1,000

THE England team together earn more than £1m a week from club football. They are paid for their international appearances but the FA refuses to say how much.

However, some time ago, an official let slip the fact they earn 'a substantial four-figure sum, and they get all their expenses as well,' each time they turn out for Queen and country.

If on July 9 in Berlin they manage to repeat the success of 40 years ago, they will each be paid a bonus of around £300,000. The 22 members of the England 1966 squad who beat the Germans at Wembley each received a bonus of £1,000.

Just how the money was divided up was recalled by Nobby Stiles, a member of the winning England team: 'We had made a unanimous decision to split our winning bonus equally among the squad, irrespective of who had actually played.

'That great man, the late Bobby Moore, our captain, knew us well enough to take an instant decision. Sir Alf had gathered us all together and said, 'Gentlemen, we have something to discuss. You have been awarded a bonus of £22,000 to be shared between you. One way of doing it would be everyone to have a basic £500, with extra money for appearances.

'Without a moment's hesitation, our captain stood up and said: 'No, boss, it will be £1,000 each. We were in all this together and that's how it will stay'.'

• Until the late Fifties, English footballers could earn no more than £20 a week, no matter how good they were. That is equivalent to £281 today. If they had been paid the equivalent of today's Premiership stars, rather than £20, they would have earned £7,000 a week.