#2. George Ford (Sale Sharks) – £550,000
Oldham-born Ford, who has won 77 caps for his country, put pen to paper on a three-year deal with the Sharks in 2022. The salary is reportedly upwards of £600,000 per season.
The Sharks Director of Rugby hailed the move as ‘massive’ – and CEO Sid Sutton said it demonstrates the ambition of everyone at Carrington to take the club to the very top.
It has been a long journey from Saddleworth Rangers where Ford was first involved in rugby league at the age of four.
He moved on to Wigan Warriors and Bradford Bulls and was later a contemporary of Owen Farrell at St George’s School, Harpenden. He became the youngest player to make his professional debut in England at 16 years and 237 and was crowned the World Rugby Young Player of the Year in 2011.
Ford was included in the England Senior Elite Player Squad for the first time in January 2014 and his first Test appearance came off the bench for Owen Farrell in the final minutes of England’s 29-18 victory over Wales at Twickenham in March 2014.
He was part of the England squads that won the 2016 and 2017 Six Nations and started in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final at fly half. Another World Cup selection in 2023 saw Ford feature in the squad that reached the semi-final of the tournament. He was recently named in Steve Borthwick’s squad ahead of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations 2024.