A top footballer on £38,000 a week is topping up his huge pay packet – with video clips for fans costing £77 each.
Premier League ace Jordon Ibe sells “shoutouts” for birthdays and other events through a website where friends and family can pay for customised messages.
The 23-year-old AFC Bournemouth and ex-Liverpool star has linked up with Cameo.com to provide the service.
A host of older football stars who earned millions during their careers are also recording clips for as little as £27 each.
Former players including Paul Gascoigne, Ledley King and Jimmy Bullard all have accounts on Cameo and nearly a full team of ageing Premier League aces can be booked for a few hundred pounds.
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But attacking midfielder Jordon is the highest-paid star still playing.
In a video posted to the site he says: “Hello you guys, it’s Jordon Ibe right here. I’ll just introduce myself to all the fans. I just want to explain what I’ll be doing. I’ll be jumping on Cameo. It’s a new app. I’ll be giving out birthday shoutouts etc.
“If you want to book me go onto cameo.com. You know, we’ll enjoy ourselves. Nice one.”
His £77 fee pales in comparison to that charged by ex-Chelsea boss Avram Grant, whose messages will set customers back £800.
Second highest is Man Utd’s Adnan Januzaj, at £230.
Januzaj earns £70,000 a week at Spanish club Real Zaragoza and reached the semi finals of last summer’s World Cup with his Belgium national teammates.
Former Spurs and England hero Gazza, who has been plagued by booze demons and has a well-known history of problems on and off the pitch, bizarrely offers tips on sobriety in his £38 clips.
Eyebrows will be raised at the presence on Cameo of Romania’s Adrian Mutu, who was sacked by Chelsea for failing a drugs test after taking cocaine.
Both he and Chelsea’s ex-midfielder Michael Essien are charging fans £77 per clip.
The cheapest service is offered by ex-Chelsea centre back Michael Duberry, who asks for £27.
Ex-Liverpool winger and Celebrity Big Brother contestant Jermaine Pennant tries to get fans to part with £192, but has received no feedback from customers.
He could learn from England rugby giant James Haskell, whose page has raked in nearly £4,000. Charging about £47 per clip, he has received 85 positive reviews for the friendly teasing he doles out.
In one Haskell teases a fan whose friends bought him a message, after he learns he gave himself the nickname “Spartan”.
In another clip he jokes: “Happy birthday my friend. I know you’re my number one stalker.”
Cameo’s site boasts that its mission is to “create the most personalised and authentic fan experiences in the world”.
Some stars are recruited by the Cameo team and others join on their own.
They all set their own fee and get 75% of the returns.
In an interview last year founder Steven Galanis said: “Our goal is to help the talent monetise.
“We think the Kardashians and the Drakes of the world, they have so many outlets to make money and to engage with their fans, that this is just a great outlet for everybody else to boost their reach.”
