One Bobby Godsell, one and a half Phuthuma Nhlekos, 12 Thabo Mbekis, two Maria Ramoses, 20 Phillippe Troussiers, 20 Pitso Mosimanes, 12 Jake Whites or even 45 Zwelinzima Vavis.
If you have R12-million to spend buying top talent, that’s what your money will get you. Or one Carlos Alberto Parreira.
New Bafana Bafana coach Parreira is reported to be aiming at more than â,¬130 000 (over R1-million) as his monthly salary to coach Bafana Bafana for the next World Cup.
The Brazilian will earn 20 times more than what Frenchman Troussier earned during his short stay with Bafana. Troussier was the Bafana coach during the 1998 World Cup.
Troussier earned R50 000 a month, roughly the same as outgoing acting Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane.
This means that Parreira, who took Brazil to the top spot in 1994, will earn between 20 and 24 times more than Mosimane.
Bafana’s senior players earn between R20Â 000 and R30Â 000 a match. This is good money compared with, say, members of the Pirates team who are understood to earn just R7 000 a month.
A Bafana debutant can expect to earn between R8 000 and R10 000 per call-up.
Generally, the coach is not the star. In elite European leagues such as the Serie A, La Liga and the English Premiership, star players tend to earn more than their coaches.
At club level Barcelona’s Ronaldinho will flash his famous toothy smile for â,¬7,6-million a year, while David Beckham is happy with £22-million.
During the World Cup, England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was the highest paid at â,¬7,3-million per annum, followed by Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann who rakes in â,¬3-million a year.
A recent survey by union Solidarity found that, on average, chief executives earn 53 times that of the ordinary worker.
While Bafana stars only earn when they play, it appears that top South African players, based on the Pirates example, earn 142 times less than what will be paid to Parreira.
Are Bafana’s players next to be asking for a pay rise?