Kadir Thank you! Woman What’s your name? Kadir

Presenter Thank you, Simon. 
4.28 Culture 8 
Do footballers earn too much?
Philip
First of all, footballers’ careers are short. They 
can play for fifteen years, if they’re lucky, but the 
average career lasts for only eight years – and 
a career can end suddenly at any time with a bad 
injury. Also, only a few footballers earn really big 
salaries. Most footballers play in the lower 
leagues. They earn a good salary while they are 
playing, but when they stop, they need to find 
another job – they certainly won’t have enough 
money to last for the rest of their lives. Yes, some
footballers earn extraordinary amounts of money. 
But that is true for other jobs too. The best actors,
the best singers and the best lawyers all earn 
millions. Why shouldn’t the best footballers?
Solutions Third Edition Elementary
 
5
Audio scripts

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Karen
In one month, a top footballer can earn about the 
same as the Prime Minister earns in one year! Is 
that right? I don’t think so – but I don’t blame the 
players, I blame the clubs. They want success on 
the pitch, but it is also big business. The best 
footballers make money for their clubs even when
they aren’t playing football. Real Madrid paid £80 
million for Cristiano Ronaldo. In the next nine 
months fans paid £100 million for kits with 
Ronaldo’s name on the back. Football is not 
about sport any more – not at the highest level. 
It’s about money.
4.29 Culture 8, Exercises 5 and 6
Presenter My guest today is Nick Wheeler, a sports 
journalist. He writes about women’s football. 
Welcome, Nick.
Nick
Thank you.
Presenter Now, tell me, when did women start playing 
football? The first Women’s World Cup was in 
1991, wasn’t it?