Ex-Man Utd star reveals how England 'payslip' compares to Premier League earnings

Former Manchester United and England goalkeeper Ben Foster opened up about how payment works with the national team and how it compares to Premier League salary.

Foster was capped eight times by his country and has disclosed plenty of details regarding his experiences and the rules in place - such as Fabio Capello's dinner dress code.

The former West Brom, Birmingham and Watford shotstopper regularly breaks down football salary and bonus questions on his Fozcast YouTube channel and in 2021 he revealed all about how England stars are paid.

To begin with, Foster confirmed that it is an "unwritten rule" that England players are not compensated for playing for their country - with their match fees donated to charity.

This scheme has been in place since 2007 and typically sees the amount go towards the England Footballers Foundation (EFF) and various charitable causes.

Foster mentioned £2,000 as a rough figure but explained that he sponsorship and other commercial obligations bring extra funds - with the 42-year-old recalling getting a cheque for a Marks and Spencer shoot.

Ben Foster played eight times for England. Image: Getty

Ben Foster revealed how England players' pay works

"This is how it works with regards to when you go away with your international team and every international team is different," he said on the Fozcast.

"Every country does it differently.

"Some countries will pay you a set amount of money and it could be good money as well. The way England works, is you get a match fee for playing the game - it's nothing major in broader football terms.

"You might be talking £2,000 per game or something. But every single player's match fee has always been signed off to charity. What you do get, is a percentage of the sponsorship.

"Every company that sponsors an international team, everybody that sponsors England - whether it's McDonald's, Carlsberg, Heineken - all of that goes into a big pot.

"The players will then receive a certain percent. I don't know the exact amount I can't be sure but I'll throw something out there, like maybe 20 per cent or something. The players will then get a pro rata and that's basically how much players will receive for playing for England."

Foster also said that turning up to an England media event, such as visiting a school in a Three Lions tracksuit, was also classed as "individual sponsorship" which brought "decent money".

Ben Foster revealed how much he earned at West Brom

However, with less than 10 appearances for England, the bulk of Foster's fees came from his club exploits and in another episode of the Fozcast, he broke down his lucrative deal at West Brom.

Ben Foster played 223 times for West Brom and was one of the top earners. Image: Getty

One of the highest-paid players at the Hawthorns, Foster had a specific relegation-related clause inserted into his contract.

"In my first contract in 2012 at West Brom, I think it was £40,000 a week," he explained.

“I was one of the higher earners, I definitely wasn't the top earner but one of the higher earners.

“I had a clause in my contract. My wages went down to £25,000 if we got relegated.

“So, I would have been in the Championship with West Brom, with three years left on my deal, on £25,000 a week."

Foster's last club was Wrexham, where he played 12 times in a second spell and helped Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's club achieve promotion to the Football League.

He initially signed a six-week contract earning "peanuts" and then penned a one-year deal off the back of it.

However, just four games into the season, Foster announcement his second and final retirement after feeling as though he could not perform at the required level.