5 hours ago
10
Football often finds itself in an explosive relationship with politics.
In the latest saga, Man United legend, Sky Sports pundit and successful property developer Gary Neville has been the focal point of huge debate after he claimed that 'angry, middle-aged white men' are responsible for Britain's growing divide.
Neville said: 'I just kept thinking as I was driving home last night that we're all being turned on each other. And the division that's being created is absolutely disgusting. Mainly created by angry, middle-aged white men, who know exactly what they're doing.'
The millionaire Labour party member, who was dubbed 'Red Nev' during his playing days due to his outspoken activism on behalf of his teammates, has built a business empire worth an estimated £100million - prompting claims he is a 'Champagne Socialist'.
The term, of course is a label used against wealthy individuals who advocate for left-wing, usually socialist, politics.
Neville has embraced that label, but also describes himself as 'a capitalist' and 'entrepreneurial businessman who likes to make a profit', but that hasn't shaken accusations that his political views contradict his lifestyle.
But the 50-year-old isn't the only prominent football figure to be labelled a 'Champagne Socialist'. In fact, a team of those who can be described as such would make for a formidable outfit.
Goalkeeper: Neville Southall
Former clubs: Bury, Everton, Stoke City, Doncaster Rovers, Torquay United, Bradford City
Net worth: N/A
Political activism: Arguably the greatest goalkeeper to grace these shores, Neville Southall has nailed his colours to the mast politically since retiring.
The 67-year-old, who worked as a binman in his hometown of Llandudno before making it in football, is a staunch supporter of the Welsh independence and Trades Union movements and has supported gay and trans rights.
He also threw his support behind Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.
'Jeremy Corbyn's done all right. Whether you like him or hate him, he sticks to what he says,' Southall said in 2018.
'When he got made leader, people took the p*** because he didn't wear a suit.
'Well, he's not Clark Kent. I thought: 'If he don't look like a politician, great. I don't want a politician'.
Southall resides in Llandudno, where he has owned property on Llys Helg Drive, known as 'Millionaire's Row' to locals.
Goalkeeping legend Neville Southall backs the Welsh Independence movement
Right Back: Gary Neville
Former clubs: Manchester United
Net worth: £100m
Political activism: A member of the Labour party, Neville has long been linked with a career in politics. The 50-year-old shares a good relationship with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and has shared interview platforms with him on many occasions.
He has also criticised Tory ex-Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, and regularly denounces Brexit.
In an interview with The Times, he explained his stance.
'People quite often call me 'a champagne socialist' and I say, 'Yeah, you're right, I am.' People should be entitled to drink champagne if they want it. I believe everybody likes very good things, nice car, nice house, nice holidays and access to good transport, healthcare and education.
'The socialist part is that not only I should have access to that. I believe everyone should. I also believe people should have to work their absolute backside off every single day and give their all.'
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville describes himself as a 'champagne socialist' and has hit out at the Tory party in the past
CB: Pep Guardiola
Former clubs: Barcelona, Brescia, Roma, Al-Ahli, Dorados
Net worth: £45m
Political activism: Never shy to express his political views, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has long backed Catalan independence, and was fined £20,000 by the FA in 2018 for 'wearing a political message' pitchside - a yellow ribbon to support imprisoned politicians in his native Catalonia.
Guardiola, who signed a contract extension to remain in Manchester last winter, was reportedly earning £18million-per-year on his old deal and owns luxury property in Manchester and Barcelona. During his 12-month hiatus from football, he rented a $24,000-per-month apartment in New York, overlooking Central Park.
More recently, Guardiola was almost moved to tears when discussing the Gaza crisis.
'It's so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts my whole body,' said Guardiola at the University of Manchester.
'Let me be clear, it's not about ideology. It's not about whether I'm right, or you're wrong. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour.'
Guardiola was fined £20,000 for wearing a yellow ribbon in support of Catalan independence
CB: Jamie Carragher
Former clubs: Liverpool
Net worth: £16m
Political activism: A proud Liverpudlian, Carragher follows the mantra of virtually everybody on Merseyside: Never vote for the Tories.
But with a reported net worth of £16m, the Sky Sports pundit - who is on an estimated £1m-per-season with the broadcaster, admits it would benefit him more if the Conservatives were in power.
'I’ve got a very simplistic view of politics – the Conservatives are for people who are pretty well off and Labour is for people who are struggling,' he told YM Liverpool. 'That’s maybe a bit too simplistic. I’m not reading anyone’s manifesto or anything like that.
'I’ll always be a Labour supporter [because of my background], even though it would probably suit me more if the Tories were in, I suppose.'
Unlike his TV co-pundit Neville, Carragher rarely ventures too much into serious political discourse, but uses his platform to 'have a laugh at politicians.'
Neville's Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher backs Labour but admits he'd benefit financially with a Tory government in power
LB: Graeme Le Saux
Former clubs: Chelsea, Blackburn, Southampton
Net worth: N/A
Political activism: Chelsea hero Le Saux is politically engaged and a nonconformist, and has vocally opposed the 'pure dominance of money' in football.
His political views stem from his early years, where he read The Guardian as a child and engaged in topic like feminism and racism. Le Saux's different view of the world from the footballing norm often made him a target among supporters, who would aim homophobic slurs at him.
The 56-year-old, who works as a pundit for US broadcaster NBC Sports, has supported gay rights and player welfare, but has not escaped claims of champagne socialism given his lavish earnings as a footballer.
Guardian reader Graeme Le Saux campaigns against homophobia and the power of money in football
RM: Stan Collymore
Former clubs: Crystal Palace, Southend United, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Leicester City, Bradford City, Real Oviedo
Net worth: N/A
Political activism: Outspoken former footballer turned pundit Stan Collymore was a member of the Labour party before switching his affiliation to the SNP in protest against MPs support of the Syrian air strikes.
Collymore, who held the record for the most expensive player in English football following his £8.5m move from Forest to Liverpool in 1995, describes himself as a 'democratic socialist' and regularly calls out racism and institutional bias in football and beyond.
He was embroiled in a Twitter spat with fellow footballer Karl Henry in 2015, in which the ex-Wolves captain - who supports the Tories - told Collymore to 'donate his salary to the masses' if he truly believes in socialism. Collymore responded by labelling the Wolverhampton native a 'sell out'.
Former Liverpool star Stan Collymore described himself as a 'democratic socialist'
CM: Javier Zanetti
Former clubs: Talleres, Banfield, Inter Milan
Net worth: N/A
Political activism: Argentinian great Zanetti's political beliefs are driven by his background growing up in an impoverished district of Buenos Aires called Dock Sud.
A staunch left-winger, Zanetti made headlines internationally in 2004 when he convinced Inter Milan to donate funds, an ambulance, and football gear to militant group Zapatista Army of National Liberation, who are at war with the Mexican state.
Earning an approximate £21m over the course of his illustrious playing career, Zanetti owns El Patio del Gaucho, a luxurious five-star Argentinian restaurant in Milan.
Argentinian great Javier Zanetti convinced Inter Milan to donate to a militant group in Mexico
CM: Diego Maradona
Former clubs: Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys
Net worth: £372,500
Political activism: One of the most politically-outspoken players in the game, Diego Maradona aligned himself with left-wing causes and championed socialist and anti-imperialist ideals.
The Argentinian icon famously had tattoos of both Che Guevara and Fidel Castro and saw his nation's 1986 World Cup success over England as a form of 'revenge' amid the Falklands War. In 2005, he wore a t-shirt which branded US President George W Bush as a 'war criminal'.
Those views were in direct conflict with Maradona's extravagant lifestyle, with the Napoli legend owning property in multiple countries and luxury cars during the peak of his career. Following his death in 2020, he left $500,000 for his family.
Diego Maradona idolised Fidel Castro and had a tattoo of the former Cuban leader on his leg
LM: Marcus Rashford
Clubs: Manchester United, Aston Villa, Barcelona
Net worth: £64m
Political activism: England star Rashford has campaigned to raise awareness for food poverty in the UK, drawing heavily on his own hardship growing up in Manchester.
His most successful political campaign saw him force the Tory government into a U-turn on extending free school meals for vulnerable children during the school holidays, and he has raised millions of pounds in donations for charities like FareShare.
Given his hefty Manchester United contract, worth an estimated £315,000-per-week, and his high-profile brand deals, Rashford has been labelled a 'champagne socialist' by some right wing critics. However, he has responded to those claims by insisting he would be doing the public a 'disservice' if he did not use his platform to help tackle social issues.
Marcus Rashford was accused of being a 'champagne socialist' amid his campaigning for food equality. He argues that it would be a 'disservice' if he didn't use his platform for good
ST: Gary Lineker
Former clubs: Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, Nagoya Grampus
Net worth: £30m
Political activism: How long have you got? Socially liberal Lineker often highlights the plight of refugees and asylum seekers via social media, and caused a stir when he accused the Tory government of employing the same rhetoric as 1930s Germany when tackling the migrant crisis.
That tweet saw him briefly suspended by the BBC, and his 26-year stint as host of the corporation's flagship football show came to an end this year when he posted a pro-Palestine video on social media featuring a rat, which is typically an anti-Semitic symbol.
As the BBC's highest-paid star during his time with the broadcaster, Lineker has been accused of being a 'champagne socialist', with critics slamming him for airing his views on government policy while being in a tax payer-funded job.
However, since his exit from the BBC, Lineker has more flexibility to express his views, and he spends his time running his production firm, Goalhanger, which produces hit podcasts like The Rest Is History and The Rest Is Politics.
Earlier this year, his podcast network posted record profits of over £1m.
Socially-liberal Gary Lineker caused a stir with his views on the Gaza conflict, leading to his exit from BBC's flagship football show, Match of the Day
ST: Eric Cantona
Former clubs: Auxerre, Marseille, Nimes, Leeds United, Manchester United
Net worth: £19m
Political activism: Lineker's strike partner Eric Cantona has been the very definition of anti-establishment from a young age. Dating back to his famous 'kung-fu kick' on a supporter in 1995, Cantona justified the stunning incident by claiming it was his response to racist slurs from the stands.
His most high-profile political intervention came in 2010 when he encouraged the public to create a 'peaceful bank run' by collectively withdrawing their money to reduce the power of the banks, in the hope of causing a 'revolution'.
More recently, the Man United legend, who is worth an estimated £19m stemming from his football career and his successful advertising campaigns, has publicly backed the Palestinian cause.
Eric Cantona campaigned for a 'peaceful bank run' and has also shown his support for Palestine
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Former teams managed: East Stirlingshire, St Mirren, Aberdeen, Scotland, Manchester United
Net worth: £54m
Political activism: Legendary Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is a self-confessed socialist. Before his football career took off, the Scotsman was an engineering union shop steward, and led apprentices out on strike on one occasion.
He has actively endorsed the Labour party throughout his life and instilled the collective effort mindset that has propelled his United teams to huge success - the same mindset that has inspired Neville in later life.
With a net worth of over £50m, Ferguson has not shaken off accusations of champagne socialism, but counters those claims by pointing to the donations he makes to the NHS - such as in 2019 when he gave over £400,000 by way of thanking the health service for saving his life through brain surgery.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been a lifelong supporter of Labour and led a strike when he worked as an engineering union shop steward
