9 Premier League Footballers Who Went Bankrupt

Despite the massively inflated wages, fan adulation and the chance to retire inside your 30s without ever having to work again (as long as you're smart), being a professional footballer isn't all roses. You're hounded; your every move scrutinised and replayed endlessly by a media living off scraps from social media and rumours made up by charlatans claiming to be in the know. Despite the countless millions paid - or perhaps because of them - some top level footballers don't really have a great deal of sense when it comes to good financial health. They lavish their earnings on luxury lifestyles: houses, cars, top level gear, and then when their career ends they're inevitably left with no contingency and no income to pay off debtors. The next step - somewhat embarrassingly when it comes through bad decisions - is bankruptcy. And there are more famous faces on that inauspicious list of financial failures than you might imagine...

Barnes was declared bankrupt in 2009 for an unpaid tax bill. However, the order was quickly overturned. He still had to pay his tax bill, mind.