Lee Hendrie

The former Aston Villa midfielder was one of the strongest homegrown players on the circuit. His career got off to a smooth start and he was making nearly $50,000 a week playing at Villa Park. He also managed to play for England during his career. The peak of his career was in the 20 ^thCentury and there seemed to be no end to this young ambitious player. In his mid-30s, his lavish lifestyle was taking its toll. The tide had turned for this wealthy player, who at the time seemed badly broke. He had spent millions of dollars on expensive cars and mansions. In 2012 he was declared bankrupt. He then faced a series of debts and even lost his properties when they were repossessed.

Chris Sutton

Chris was the forward for Norwich City and a former Blackburn Rovers player. During that time he became the first to aim for £5million, which was a British record at the time. He even moved on to enjoy a brief stint with Chelsea . Apart from a successful career andlack of money, Chris managed to get into a bad financial situation. It finally went bankrupt in May 2014. He was declared bankrupt by the court. At an English center, he was ambushed by a scheme from which Chris allegedly made more than $150,000 in profits. We wonder how these players go broke after making so much money.

Keith Gillespie

He was one of the strongest players on the block and was the former winger for Newcastle United as well as Manchester United . His phase in the football industry was the most controversial and talked about in history. Mainly engaged in excessive drinking habit, Keith even spent millions of dollars on gambling. It is even said that he would allegedly place bets on his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Keith’s addiction reached another level when he blew up almost $100,000 on horse races one afternoon. His gambling problem was the biggest of all, during which he blew up most of his earnings, which totaled a whopping $10 million.

David James

David James was one of the few players whose football career was suddenly and literally put on hold. He played for both Portsmouth and was part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for England. The former Liverpool goalkeeper saw his flamboyant career and lifestyle end in no time. James was also a key figure at the 2010 games. He has been in the industry for almost two decades and has even played for Manchester United , West Ham United and Aston Villa! During his career he grossed nearly $30million! He even tried modeling for the Armani fashion label. In 2005, following his divorce which proved to be very costly for the player, James was forced to raise funds to meet the needs of the divorce. It clearly wasn’t David’s smartest move to end his football career in the depths of Iceland.

John Arne Riise

John Arne Riise wrote on behalf of Liverpool and even Fulham . He was the former left-backIncreasingly popular with a free kick he took. He was making a lot of money, as much as $80,000 a week. Playing mostly with his left foot, John made some sweet crosses and free kicks that soon became his trademark. Not only did John have such a great talent and career, but he was also on trial for a $150,000 unpaid debt. That being said, John was involved in a bitter legal battle with his manager, Einar Baardsen. His dispute centered on an alleged $5 million fraud.

Celestine Babayaro

The former Newcastle United and Chelsea defender made nearly $45,000 a week! Celestine was a strong competitor for most players who were terrorized by his talent. He has made over 60 appearances for the Toon Army and for the Blues on multiple occasions. Not only did the Nigeria international make so much money, but he also ended up in court following a court order in Croydon. He was even signed by Newcastle for $2.5m and was still caught in a crippling debt crisis! He was later freed in 2007.

Eric Djemba-Djemba

Former Manchester United midfielder Djemba-Djemba was one of the players not expected here. After earning $6 million in his career, he still managed to rack up debt. The Red Devil and Aston Villa player has been declared bankrupt over large outstanding debts. The Cameroon international managed to break into the Manchester United side but was soon sent off for unsuccessfully poor performances in a row. After some time on the football field, Djemba-Djemba ended up in a low place for a team in Scotland, St.Mirren.

Jason Euell

Jason is the former Wimbledon and Charlton striker who was very popular in his day. Soon after, he became a victim of fraud and had no chance to break away from it. Jason, now in his 30s, discovered that a real estate company had forged his signature. By then the company had gone down the drain. After uncovering a variety of fraudulent financial cases, Jason was forced to file for bankruptcy in Kingston-upon-Thames District Court. He was one of the top players of his time and had been at the peak of his career for almost 15 years! He had earned a whopping $7 million, making him one of the highest paid footballers of his time.

Carl Cort

Carl Cort had started out as a forward for Wimbledon and did so well that he was transferred to the Newcastle United team for a huge sum. During his peak, he was making about $45,000 a week. Born in 1977, Carl played for his 50,000 fans at St. James Park. Eventually, due to his rising popularity, Carl moved to many top clubs. He played for teams like Norwich City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and even Leicester City. Aside from making millions as a player, the Guyanese athlete still managed to go bankrupt and filed for bankruptcy later in his career.

Alan Hudson

Alan Hudson was an extremely popular player back in the 70’s. Alan was a crowd pleaser and extremely talented. He was a former player for Chelsea and Stoke City. Alan was the main reason behind Chelsea’s victory in the 1971 European Cup. He has now long retired from his favorite sport and is on the brink of bankruptcy. Most players like Alan would have retired, but due to gambling and alcohol problems, Alan has been homeless for the last few years. Due to his lifestyle-changing addiction, Alan is living on a small amount of $250 in disability payments and a $500 pension. This is what we call talent that has been completely wasted.

Paul Merson

Paul Merson once enjoyed a stellar career, which he had while playing for Arsenal. In his prime, he was making nearly $40,000 a week and finding success on the Arsenal team. He played for the FA Cup and also for the league title. After playing for the title-winning side under George Graham, Paul played briefly at Aston Villa towards the end of his career. Aside from being an extremely talented gambler, Paul had very bad addictions to gambling, drinking and drugs. His addiction has cost him around $5 million in total. He also had to sell his property and pay for a very expensive divorce with his ex-wife. After a while, Paul would almost take to the streets as the fortunes swung in his favor.

Brad Friedel

Brad was one of the most famous American goalkeepers and played for his homeland. He was considered the best among many top goalkeepers. Having successful careers with both Aston Villa and Tottenham Brad earned a huge sum. Not only has Brad made so much money, but he also filed for bankruptcy in the US in 2011. He had a football academy in Lorain, Ohio, which was also about $7 million in debt. The reason people were reluctant to enroll in college was the staggering $50,000 annual fee. Brad eventually went broke and the banks had to repossess his home. We have to say you did a pretty poor job of managing all your money Brad.

Richard Rufus

Richard Rufus was an accomplished midfielder, back four player for Charlton Athletic. He was a crowd favorite in the ’90s. Earning about $20,000 a week, he was considered the next big player for the center-back position. He retired from the game in 2004 and took a completely different path to become a financial advisor. His attention shifted entirely from football to finance. He made a number of investments that barely paid off and Richard suffered a huge loss. He also faced serious debt and filed for bankruptcy soon after. Only if he had to stick with football would he probably still have played and made a lot more money.

Kenny Sansom

Kenny Sansom was a key figure in the 80’s and 80’s, played successfully for the country and club. He is the former Arsenal defender. He has made 86 appearances for England and was also at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. He’s had an impressive career as one of the best. His growing fame took him to a number of clubs including Coventry City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers and Everton. Despite the talent, Kenny was heavily involved with gambling and alcohol issues. Years of addiction took a toll on Kenny and took him off the radar. He became homeless for a short time and then realized it was time for a change. He returned to the track by becoming a television character, appearing regularly on television for sports talk.

Paul Gascoigne

Paul was one of the best players to ever emerge from England. Paul was not only a unique footballer, but also an all-rounder. With natural ability and silky movements oozing from this athlete, Paul was undoubtedly doing exceptionally well on his own. He played for his hometown Newcastle United and moved to other prestigious clubs such as Glasgow Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur. He also played in Serie A for Lazio, the Roman giants. With an extremely funny and upbeat personality, Paul soon became a fan favorite. The main problem for Paul came from the field where he faced numerous serious problems. Paul was addicted to drugs and alcohol and also struggled with serious depression problems. His problems eventually led him to bankruptcy, when he owed more than $400,000 in taxes. What a sad way to end his glorious career.