6 Clubs With the Highest Wage Bills in World Football
Footballers' wages have become a bit of a sour conversation in recent times – and it makes complete sense given how extortionate some of their wage bills are! Premier League clubs tend to dominate the continent in regard to how much they pay their players, but it is sides from other European top flights that also find themselves at the summit of the pack. The ever-growing Saudi Pro League is quickly becoming a thorn in their competition, however.
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European teams – mainly from England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain – are typically found battling it out in the latter stages of the Champions League and Europa League stages, where they are rewarded financially and thus, cause a vicious financial circle that outsiders find difficult to break into.
However, the January transfer window has now slammed firmly shut: no more players will be bumping up a club’s wage bill, while no well-paid players will be offloaded to free up some much-needed space, either. And so, we thought, what better time to take a look at the top 16 wage-spenders in world football? Here is a full rundown of how much the top six teams in football circles pay in yearly wages – via figures from Capology.
6. Barcelona (Wage bill: £202,542,766)
Having the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez leave your side is always a sad day, but looking at the positive influence on the balance of your club’s wages is always there to alleviate the loss. Talisman Robert Lewandowski is now at the top of their wage list, taking home a whopping £345,781-per-week, while Frenkie de Jong takes home £315,402-per-week.
Barcelona boast two of the best wingers in world-football in Raphinha and Lamine Yamal. The excellent duo are both paid £276,724 every seven days. As is the modern world, Barcelona are much more a global conglomerate rather than merely a football team and, as such, can afford to offload hefty wages on their players.
5. Bayern Munich (Wage bill: £214,886,618)
Standing in fifth spot in the list is Bayern Munich. As previously seen, there is a real lack of Bundesliga teams in this list. Harry Kane – as expected – finds himself at the top of the pile and is earning £415,003-per-week since his switch to Bavaria, but is closely followed by the likes of Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala, one of the best dribblers in world football.
The German heavyweights have become a fixture in Europe’s top table and are looking to break their curse by matching the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City, with the aforementioned Englishman leading the line.
4. Manchester City (Wage bill: £235,315,600)
In comparison to some sides in the Premier League such as Ipswich Town, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are far more generous – but saying that, they receive a bucket load more revenue via various streams.
Erling Haaland is the English top division’s highest earner on £525,000-per-week. On a healthy £300,000-per-week is Bernardo Silva, while Omar Marmoush (£295,000-per-week), Ruben Dias (£250,000-per-week) and Gianluigi Donnarumma (£250,000-per-week) are also among their highest-paid players.
3. Real Madrid (Wage bill: £265,807,167)
Looking to retain their credibility as Champions League victors, Real Madrid are world football’s third-highest spenders – at least from a wages perspective. Posterboy Kylian Mbappe is the top earner at the Santiago Bernabeu, though there are a host of names all on bumper contracts in excess of £200,000-per-week.
Sensation Jude Bellingham is one of the world's best players and earns £345,781-per-week for his efforts. Vinicius Jr, Federico Valverde and David Alaba are also among the names that earn a shed load in the Spanish capital – but that’s expected given how experienced they are at the top level.
2. Al-Hilal (Wage bill: £279,419,929)
Before his move away, Neymar had always been among his club's highest-earning player thanks to his showmanship and undeniable flair. Fans paid to watch the flicks and tricks, but shifting him off their books has allowed them to spend funds elsewhere. Now at the top of their highest-earners is Benzema, who they signed from league rivals Al-Ittihad. He earns a crazy £2,032,685 on a weekly basis.
Former Chelsea star Kalidou Koulibaly earns £576,024 on a week-by-week basis. He plays alongside Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (on an eye-catching £423,469-per-week) when fit, while ex-Liverpool marksman Darwin Nunez pockets just south of £20 million every year.
1. Al-Nassr (Wage bill: £314,241,681)
Following the boom of the beautiful game in the Middle East, the wages we're currently witnessing have truly spiraled out of control. It's now almost inconceivable how much money footballers – Cristiano Ronaldo, most notably – are actually earning. The Portuguese talisman, widely recognised as one of the best footballers of all time, pockets £3,459,466 on a week-by-week basis.
Former Premier League duo Sadio Mane and Joao Felix are also among Al-Nassr's top earners with them taking home £664,005 and £290,522-per-week, respectively. Given how fruitful footballers are paid in Saudi Arabia – it's expected that it will continue to grow in size and stature, all thanks to being able to support their players financially.
Source: YEN.com.gh
