Agent: Fame won't change Wilko's game

14 April 2012

Jonny Wilkinson's agent today insisted Britain's brightest sporting star would not fall into the celebrity trap.

Wilkinson left Sydney today with the rest of the England players for a new, glittering future and a host of big-money offers.

However, Tim Buttimore, who has masterminded his career to date along with father Phil Wilkinson, quickly moved to head off any worries that the England No10 would suffer the kind of publicity that now surrounds England football captain David Beckham.

Buttimore told Standard Sport: "Jonny is very level headed and is supported by a great family and I can assure his many fans that rugby will always come first in his life.

"That will never change with him. That is how it is now and how it will be in the future. I have absolutely no doubt about that.

"He has a great support team and that helps keep thing on an even keel. I am absolutely certain that Jonny is strong enough to cope with what's about to happen to him back in England.

"Yes, we have received lots of offers before, during and after the World Cup and in the days to come we will sit down as a group and look at what is on the table.

"There are a number of existing deals that we are very happy with and it will be a case of evaluating what is now being talked about.

"Can I put a figure on what he will earn? No. We never discuss details of Jonny's contracts."

Standard Sport understands, however, that before the tournament started Wilkinson was expecting to make in excess of £1.5m this year, making him the highest paid player in the sport - even before his World Cup heroics.

The money comes from:

Individual sponsorship deals with Adidas, Mercedes, Cartier, Lucozade and Lloyds TSB - each worth an estimated £200,000 for a total of £1m.
Newcastle club contract, worth £200,000.
England contract and World Cup fees, worth £120,000.
Newspaper column, worth £50,000.

Recent deals include £200,000 from The Times for filming a World Cup advert.

Wilkinson also received £83,000 as his share of the England players' deal for winning the World Cup.

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