In brief
Based on Capology data, GIVEMESPORT has identified the top 15 global football spenders in terms of player salaries.
The financial might of the English top flight is demonstrated by the fact that six Premier League teams are in the top 15.
The top three football teams in the world with the highest wage bills are Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Al-Nassr.
The topic of football players’ pay has recently been somewhat contentious, which makes perfect sense considering how outrageous some of their salary demands are! When it comes to player salaries, Premier League teams often lead the continent, but teams from other major divisions in Europe are also at the front of the pack. But the Saudi Pro League, which is constantly expanding, is fast becoming a rival to them.
Superstars like Kylian Mbappe, who earn £498,248 a week, are responsible for this. European teams—primarily from England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain—usually compete in the later stages of the Champions League and Europa League, where they receive financial rewards. As a result, they create a vicious financial cycle that is difficult for outsiders to break.
The January transfer window, however, has now firmly closed: neither will any more players increase a club’s payroll nor will any highly compensated players be let go to make much-needed room. We therefore reasoned that there was no better moment to examine the top 15 football wage earners in the world. Here is a detailed breakdown of the annual salaries paid by the top 15 football teams, based on data from Capology.
Football’s Top 15 Clubs with the Highest Wage Bills
Group
League
Annual wage bill
Al-Nassr
The Saudi Pro League
£298,622,603
The Bayern Munich
Bundesliga
£229,840,384
Real Madrid
La Liga
£228,024,846
City of Manchester
The Premier League
£223,652,000
Saint-Germain, Paris
Ligue 1
£184,743,431
The Arsenal
The Premier League
£172,666,000
United Manchester
The Premier League
£171,418,000
Barcelona
La Liga
£167,762,326
Chelsea
The Premier League
£161,850,000
Al-Ittihad
The Saudi Pro League
£161,332,994
Al-Ahli
The Saudi Pro League
£158,143,311
Al-Hilal
The Saudi Pro League
£142,469,724
Liverpool
The Premier League
£129,376,000
Villa Aston
The Premier League
£123,864,000
Milan Inter
Serie A
£117,185,449
15Inter Milan, Serie A
Wage bill: £117,185,449
With a payroll expenditure of £117,185,449 throughout the course of the year, Inter Milan has outperformed their San Siro rivals AC Milan, a team that does not finish in the top 15. Although the rest of the high salary is well dispersed, the San Siro’s top earnings are the exciting trio of Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella, and Lautaro Martinez.
With a spine of players like Alessandro Bastoni (£162,469 per week) and Piotr Zielinski (£132,813 per week), Simone Inzaghi’s team will be confident they can advance further in the upcoming years after making it to the Champions League final in 2022–2023. These players will undoubtedly help them achieve their goal of winning Europe’s most coveted trophy.
The Top Five Highest Earners at Inter Milan
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Martinez, Lautaro
£265,786
£13,820,853
Barella, Nicolo
£191,965
£9,982,187
Calhanoglu Hakan
£177,137
9,211,138 pounds
Bastoni, Alessandro
£162,469
£8,448,380
Zielinksi Piotr
£132,813
£6,906,281
14Aston Villa, Premier League
Wage bill: £123,864,000
The difficult task for Aston Villa is to equal teams like Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool on the pitch, and this also applies to their financial outlays. Marcus Rashford, a Manchester United outcast who makes £225,000 at Villa Park, has greatly increased their annual spending, and since he began his loan period well, it is undoubtedly paying off.
In addition, Unai Emery’s highest-paid players are the midfield three of Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans, and Amadou Onana. Emiliano Martinez, a custodian from Argentina who is widely considered to be among the greatest in the world of football, earns a respectable £150,000 a week, which puts his annual salary just around £8 million.
The Top Five Highest Earners at Aston Villa
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Rashford, Marcus
£225,000
£11,700,000
Kamara Boubacar
£150,000
£7,800,000.
Tielemans, Youri
£150,000
£7,800,000.
Martinez, Emiliano
£150,000
£7,800,000.
Onana Amadou
£140,000
7,280,000 pounds
13Liverpool, Premier League
Wage bill: £129,376,000
Many senior players who would have been making a lot of money left Liverpool during the summer of 2023. Naturally, they have been replaced, but by lesser-known players who are probably going to make a lot less than the departing veterans, such as James Milner, Jordan Henderson, and Thiago Alcantara, who accounted for a sizable portion of the pay expenditure.
Mohamed Salah, an Egyptian striker, is their highest paid player, earning £130,000 more per week than Virgil van Dijk, who is the second highest paid player, earning £220,000. Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold earn £180,000 and £160,000 a week, respectively, while Alexis Mac Allister, the midfield star, earns £7.8 million a year, or £150,000 a week.
The Top Five Highest Earners in Liverpool
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Salah Mohamed
£350,000
£18,200,000
Van Dijk, Virgil
£220,000
£11,440,000
Arnold, Trent Alexander
£180,000
£9,360,000
Robertson, Andy
£160,000
£8,320,000
Allister, Alexis Mac
£150,000
£7,800,000.
12Al-Hilal, Saudi Pro League
Wage bill: £142,469,724
Neymar’s showmanship and unquestionable flair had made him one of his club’s highest-paid players before to his departure. Fans have been able to spend money elsewhere since removing him from their books, even though they paid to see the tricks and films. Kalidou Koulibaly, a former Chelsea player, is currently at the top of their list of highest earners.
The central defender, who is among the most costly players over 30, makes a club-high £553,255 a week. When healthy, he plays with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (who earns a staggering £398,599 a week), and former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic leads the Al-Hilal line. All of this while earning slightly more than £20 million annually.
The Top Five Highest Earners at Al-Hilal
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Koulibaly Kalidou
£553,255
£28,769,261
Milinkovic-Savic, Sergej
£398,599
£20,727,134
Aleksandar Mitrovic
£398,599
£20,727,134
Malcom
£286,991
£14,923,536
Neves, Ruben
£275,830
£14,343,176
11Al-Ahli, Saudi Pro League
Wage bill: £158,143,311
Al-Ahli is now on par with the best in Europe in terms of how much teams spend on player salaries after Ivan Toney joined from Brentford during the summer. According to Capology, the former Premier League striker is the club’s second-highest earner, earning £406,730-per-week.
Naturally, Riyad Mahrez, whose successful time at Manchester City made him such a desirable target, has the highest salary (£832,274 per week), while former Liverpool star Roberto Firmino makes a pittance of £302,935 per week. Gabri Veiga and Franck Kessie earn £11,607,195 and £9,949,024 year, respectively.
The top five highest incomes in Al-Ahli
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Mahrez Riyad
£832,274
43,278,255
Toney, Ivan
£406,730
£21,149,967
Firmino Roberto
£302,935
£15752,621
Kessie, Franck
£223,215
£11,607,195
Veiga Gabri
£191,327
£9,949,024
10Al-Ittihad, Saudi Pro League
Wage bill: £161,332,994
The fact that Karim Benzema, a former Real Madrid goal machine in his prime, is making a lot of money in his latter years while playing for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia should not be shocking. Even if the Frenchman has experienced a number of issues since moving, the arrival of £1,593,295 in his bank account will probably lessen the impact.
N’Golo Kante, his countryman and one of the world’s most likeable football players, earns a substantial salary from his Saudi Pro League employers—£398.599 each week, to be exact—but that’s to be expected from a two-time Premier League champion. Moussa Diaby, a former player for Aston Villa, and Fabinho, a former Liverpool destroyer, are also high earners. Steven Bergwijn, who joined the team in September 2024, is also a member.
The Top Five Highest Earners in Al-Ittihad
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Benzema Karim
£1,593,295
£82,908,534
Kante N’Golo
£398,599
£20,727,134
Diaby Moussa
£244,102
£12,693,297
Fabinho
£223,215
£11,607,195
Bergwijn, Steven
£146,365
£7,611,003
9Chelsea, Premier League
Wage bill: £161,850,000
Since Todd Boehly took over with their 2023 summer coup, the Blues have been known to spend heavily on transfers; Moises Caicedo’s signing is a perfect illustration of their extravagant spending. However, given how many they have to pay, it appears that they are more rationally motivated when it comes to paying player salary.
They spend £161,850,000 annually, making them the fourth-largest wage-paying club in the Premier League (more on the others to follow). Wesley Fofana is the only player in west London to score more than £200,000 a week, but club captain Reece James leads the league with £250,000, despite being permanently out due to a series of chronic injuries.
The Top Five Highest Earners in Chelsea
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
James Reece
£250,000
£13,000,000
Fofana, Wesley
£200,000
£10,400,000
Nkunku Christopher
£195,000.
£10,140,000
Fernandez, Enzo
£180,000
£9,360,000
Cucurella Marc
£175,000.
£9,100,000.
8Barcelona, La Liga
Wage bill: £167,762,326
It’s always a sad day when players like Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez leave your team, but you can always find ways to make up for the loss by considering the beneficial impact on your club’s wage balance. Despite popular misconception, Frenkie de Jong earns much less (£302,935 per week) than Talisman Robert Lewandowski, who is now big and in charge at the top of their wage list with a massive £537,065 per week.
Ansu Fati (£222,418) and Jules Kounde (£216,041) are close to the top of Blaugrana’s earnings, with half of their expensively built team earning £100,000 a week going into their bank accounts. Barcelona can afford to pay their players high salaries because, like the modern world, they are more of a worldwide corporation than just a football team.
The Top Five Highest Earners in Barcelona
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Lewandowski, Robert
£531,412.
£27,633,414
De Jong Frenkie
£302,935
£15,752,621
Ansu Fati
£222,418
£11,565,740
Kounde, Jules
£216,041.
£11,234,106
Raphinha
£199,299
£10,363,567
7Manchester United, Premier League
Wage bill: £171,418,000
The Manchester-based team already established a “Ronaldo rule” that prohibits new hires from making more than £200,000 per week, although those who are currently employed by the team will not be impacted. Despite this, they are still ranked eighth among the highest-paying clubs based on their individual wage bills.
Rashford’s departure has reduced their extravagant spending, as mentioned, but Casemiro, a former Real Madrid player, makes an incredible £350,000 a week at Old Trafford, which raises their total spending as well. Mason Mount is the club’s third highest-paid asset, earning a quarter of a million pounds a week, despite rarely being able to play and consequently rotting on the bench. Antony, on the other hand, makes £200,000 a week.
The Top Five Highest Earners at Manchester United
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Casemiro
£350,000
£18,200,000
Fernandes Bruno
£300,000.
£15,600,000.
Mount Mason
£250,000
£13,000,000
Ligt, Matthijs
£195,000.
£10,140,000
Maguire, Harry
£190,000.
£9,880,000
6Arsenal, Premier League
Wage bill: £172,666,000
18 of Arsenal’s 22 players make more than £100,000 a week, while Kai Havertz, the team’s top earner, makes just under £15 million annually on his new contract. The Premier League, perhaps the largest league in the world, is responsible for Mikel Arteta and his team’s significant expenditures in salary and transfer fees.
Declan Rice, the team’s big-ticket acquisition from two summers ago, and Martin Odegaard are the club’s joint-third highest earners, with the engine room pair taking in £240,000 per week and £12.84 million annually. The higher-ups of the north Londoners will be eager to put some cutlery in their cabinet as quickly as possible to demonstrate the advantages of spending the money, as their total spending is increasing.
The Top Five Highest Earners at Arsenal
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Havertz, Kai
£280,000
£14,560,000
Jesus Gabriel
£265,000.
£13,780,000
Rice, Declan
£240,000
£12,480,000
Odegaard, Martin
£240,000
£12,480,000
Partey, Thomas
£200,000
£10,400,000
5Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1
Wage bill: £184,743,431
At one point, Paris Saint-Germain was comfortably ranked second on the rankings. However, they are currently in fifth place with their players earning a combined £184,743,431 annually, since the aforementioned Messi and Neymar have long since left the high salary bill and Kylian Mbappe’s recent move to Los Blancos has bolstered their case.
The fact that PSG is the only team from the top division in France to be featured makes their position particularly intriguing. The club’s second and third-highest earners, Lucas Hernandez and Ousmane Dembele, make £318,879 and £302,935 a week, respectively, but as might be assumed, their take-home pay is far less than that of former sensation Mbappe. Among their highest-earning assets are veteran Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, the club’s top earner, and recent arrival Kvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The Top Five Highest Paid Employees at Paris Saint-Germain
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Hakimi Achraf
£347,897
£18,090,642
Dembele Ousmane
£318,879
£16,581,707
Hernandez, Lucas
£302,935
£15,752,621
Marquinhos
£267,858
£13,928,634
Kvaratskhelia Khvicha
£260,843
£13,563,836
4Manchester City, Premier League
Wage bill: £223,652,000
With a weekly salary of £525,000, Erling Haaland leads the English top division in earnings, and erstwhile chief creative Kevin De Bruyne is not far behind, making only £125,000 less than the engimactic Norwegian. Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva both earn a respectable £300,000 a week, but Omar Marmoush, a newcomer, comes in last on their list of the top five earners with £295,000.
The Top Five Highest Earners at Manchester City
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Haaland, Erling
£525,000
£27,300,000.
De Bruyne, Kevin
£400,000
£20,800,000.
Silva, Bernardo
£300,000.
£15,600,000.
Grealish, Jack
£300,000.
£15,600,000.
Marmoush Omar
£295,000.
£15,340,000
3Real Madrid, La Liga
Wage bill: £228,024,846
Real Madrid is the third-highest spender in international football, at least in terms of salary, and they want to maintain their reputation as Champions League winners. Although there are several players on massive contracts worth more than £200,000 per week, Kylian Mbappe, the summer recruit and posterboy, is the top earner at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Before Mbappe’s arrival, sensation Jude Bellingham was perhaps on the verge of becoming their highest-paid player; nonetheless, for the time being, the England international is earning £332,112 per week, which is the same as Brazilian star Vinicius Jr. David Alaba and Federico Valverde are also well-known figures in the Spanish capital, but that is to be anticipated considering their degree of experience.
The Top Five Highest Earners at Real Madrid
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Mbappe Kylian
£498,248
£25,908,917
Alaba, David
£358,739
£18,654,420
Vinicius Jr.
£332,112
£17,269,848
Bellingham, Jude
£332,112
£17,269,848
Valverde Federico
£265,786
£13,820,853
2Bayern Munich, Bundesliga
Wage bill: £229,840,384
Bayern Munich is in second place on the list, but they are not far from Real Madrid, who are in third. As was previously observed, this list truly lacks Bundesliga teams. As anticipated, Harry Kane is at the top of the list and has earned £398,599 a week since moving to Bavaria. However, players like Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, and Jamal Musiala, one of the best dribblers in international football, are just behind him.
With the aforementioned Englishman at the front of the queue, the German heavyweights, who have established themselves as a mainstay in Europe’s top table, are hoping to end their curse by matching teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City. Kane, who was born in London, is the only player without a trophy after missing out on any during his debut campaign.
The Top Five Highest Earners at Bayern Munich
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Kane, Harry
£398,599
£20,727,134
Neuer, Manuel
£334,823
£17,410,792
Kimmich, Joshua
£310,907
£16,167,164
Gnabry, Serge
300,862
£15,644,840
Musiala Jamal
300,862
£15,644,840
1Al-Nassr, Saudi Pro League
Wage bill: £298,622,603
The wages we are currently seeing have really gone out of control since the Middle East’s beautiful game boom. The amount of money that football players, like Cristiano Ronaldo, are truly making is now nearly unthinkable. Weekly earnings for the Portuguese talisman, who is regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time, total £3,188,790.
Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte, two former Premier League players, are also among Al-Nassr’s highest paid players, earning £637,758 and £390,627 a week, respectively. It is anticipated that it will continue to expand in size and prominence due to the fact that Saudi Arabia pays football players well, allowing them to be financially supported.
The Top Five Highest Earners in Al-Nassr
The player
Pay (weekly)
Salary per year
Ronaldo Cristiano
£3,188,790
£165,817,068
Mane Sadio
£637,758
£33,163,414
Laporte, Aymeric
£390,627
£20,312,591
Brozovic, Marcelo
£385,844
£20,063,865.
Duran, Jhon
£325,416
£16,921,632
