Most Financially Irresponsible Footballers of All Time

Footballers can make a lot.

Their money habits are, however, different greatly from one player to another.

Certain footballers achieve amazing feats with the salaries they receive for example, opening charitable organizations, helping in the funding of education and health programs, and making a change around the world.

Some footballers are not as than noble, preferring to spend their money on more materialistic goods like starting their own private car collection.

We're not here inform you about who is using his money in the right or the wrong method. But there are some footballers who, due to a variety of reasons, make a mistake with their finances, to the point that they're in serious financial trouble towards the final stage of their careers.

We're not inclined to feel sorry for, and so we're here today to name and make fun of the most financially reckless footballers ever.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is rich and knows it.

Real Madrid's star is not in danger of becoming bankrupt anytime soon To be fair.

He is among the most well-known names in the world and earns an average of $40 million in endorsements and salary.

If you're this rich you're likely to not consider financial responsibility to be one of your priorities.

Ronaldo's extravagant spending on houses, cars, and clothes at PS8,000 per month is a little irresponsible. Ronaldo talks a lot about his desire to be a role model for his son. A monthly budget of P8,000 on clothes won't help.

It's safe for us to conclude, without getting too involved in Ronaldo's private affairs however, that, despite his wealth however, he was a bit reckless in his spending.

Pele

Pele was a star for 18 years with Brazilian club Santos before becoming semi-retired in 1972.

However, in 1975, it was reported that due to financial troubles, Pele decided to come out of semi-retirement and join the NASL's New York Cosmos, before taking a break in 1977.

What I am unable to figure out is what the secret behind how Pele got himself into financial trouble in spite of numerous international tours, World Cups and endorsement contracts throughout his career.

Even though football was a much more fiscally conservative game back in Pele's time certainly money was coming at him from all angles before his transfer to the New York Cosmos.

Pele, Brazil's Minister for Sport in the 1990s, was not just financially strained towards the end of the decade with Santos but also had financial problems.

He was said to have made gambling an income stream for football and, as a result corruption and money laundering increased in the Brazilian FA.

I am not surprised at the manner in which Pele conducts himself today.

Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli seems to be always losing money.

He was also fined one week's salary earlier on Wednesday in violation of the club's curfew. In December, he reportedly paid out PS55,000 to stay at the Manchester City Hotel for eight consecutive weeks as repairs to his house were made.

These repairs, according to reports, cost the man PS400,000.

Then last year, Balotelli reportedly gave a homeless man PS1,000 after winning PS25,000 in a casino on the same day. Balotelli then followed up on that bizarre act of charity by surprising local drinkers with an amount of $1000 for a bar tab.

Balotelli's fines are a sad relic of the past.

Through the cash he makes at Manchester City, Balotelli earns enough money to afford all the fines he receives however, he'd have plenty of money to fund his bizarre acts of charity should he just pay lesser fines.

Dietmar Hamann

Dietmar Hamann had a solid career playing for clubs like Bayern Munich, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City before retiring permanently at the end of the season 2010-11.

Hamann recently acknowledged that he suffered from gambling issues towards the final stages of his career. He said that one night, he was able to blow PS200,000 in one night.

Hamann's issues were first discovered when it was revealed that Hamann owed the sum of PS600,000. He also could be taken to court.

Hamann stated that he is back to his normal self and his gambling issues are over.

Obafemi Martins

Remember Obafemi Martins? He was the man who appeared to become a world-class striker during his time at Inter Milan and Newcastle. He seemed to be a modest, simple guy who really enjoyed scoring goals, but was not ever seen in the spotlight.

Martins had more to it than appears to be apparent.

According to the Daily Mail Martins, while working for Newcastle, "regularly withdrew PS40,000 at weekends, and another one on Monday", all at the same time earning a PS75,000-a week salary.

It didn't stop there.

It appears that Martins and his agent were so inept, that when Martins first arrived at Newcastle the club, he was "not been paid a penny for the rights to his image on Newcastle United shirts and mugs," and "had received no compensation from his sponsorship contracts and could not even find the contracts he had originally signed."

A train crash.

NVA Management offered to step into the management of every aspect of Martins life for a one-off fee of P300,000 and 20 percent of all sponsorship money earned. Martins did accept, but failed to pay the sum of PS300,000.

Martins, despite financial difficulties He insisted on having a variety of fast vehicles, including the PS85,000 Porsche Cayenne 4x4 and he invested his money in luxurious penthouses and fine dining.

He owned a huge multi-million-pound residence in the exclusive footballers' community of Darras Hall, near Ponteland, Northumbria, and rented an opulent flat overlooking Newcastle upon Tyne's fashionable Quayside.

Martins' financial troubles could be the reason he made the fateful transfer to Germany and Russia. Martins is now more often plays on the bench for Rubin Kazan.