5 of the biggest compensation packages ever paid to football managers

Sacking managers midway through the season is on the rise in European football, especially in the Premier League. This decision comes with its own headaches; not only does the club management have to search for a replacement, but the departing personnel sometimes command hefty compensation payouts, in case their contract had been terminated abruptly.

As fans, it is difficult for us to see our club going through a rough patch, and fans prefer to see the manager who just can't seem to get the job done replaced. But sacking a manager who is under contract could cost the club a fortune, and in many cases, a massive severance package is the biggest obstacle against his removal.

In case of dismissal of the 'Big Boys' of football management, the severance packages could reach to the tune of millions of dollars.

Over recent years, with salaries of top managers increasing exponentially, it has become more and more expensive for clubs and countries to sack managers on a whim. Some football managers have made millions even after getting sacked.

Here's the list of 5 of the biggest compensation packages that were handed out to managers:

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#5 Fabio Capello - £11 million

Fabio Capello, the Italian manager who has now retired from professional coaching, was handed out a lucrative sum of £11 million in by Russian Football Union (RFU) in 2015, when the men's national team failed to earn a single point in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and was on the verge of missing out on a spot in EURO 2016.

Capello, who had spells at the helm of clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan, also coached the England men's national team for four years between 2008 and 2012.

He is regarded as one of the most successful managers of all time, having won the Serie A five times, excluding the two revoked titles on account of Calciopoli scandal, the LaLiga twice and also the coveted UEFA Champions League once.

He was named in the list of top 50 managers of all time by The Times in 2007.

#4 Andre Villas-Boas - £12 million

Andre Villas-Boas is one of the few managers to have led a Premier League club without playing football professionally as a player.

The Portuguese, who was Jose Mourinho's "eyes and ears" during his spell at Porto and Chelsea, found himself in the limelight after he led Porto to a treble (Primera Liga, Portuguese Cup and Europa League) in his first season in-charge in 2010, thanks to the exploits of Radamel Falcao.

At just 34 years of age, he became the Chelsea manager next season, where he replaced Carlo Ancelotti who was paid a compensation of £6 million to vacate the position for the former Porto man.

But just seven months into his new job at the Stamford Bridge, a series of defeats saw the Blues fall out of the top four, which prompted Abramovich to terminate his contract.

He settled his claim with the club for a staggering £12 million, which is just mind-boggling given that Chelsea had paid Porto a world-record £13.3 million to activate his release clause in the first place, just a few months ago.

#3 Luiz Felipe Scolari - £12.6 million

A manager who is best remembered for leading Brazil to their record fifth World Cup triumph in 2002, Luiz Felipe Scolari has not been able to match his international success at the club level.

Right now he is the head coach of Brazilian club Palmeiras, but for a brief period of seven months, he was the manager of Premier League club Chelsea, which ended with the World Cup-winning coach being £12.6 million richer.

After his spell with the Seleção, he was approached by Portuguese Football Federation in 2003 and he led the team to a second spot in the EURO 2004, where the underdogs Greece prevailed with a 1-0 victory.

When he joined Chelsea in the summer of 2008, big things were expected of him by the Stamford Bridge faithful, but the team's performance under him failed to impress the trigger-happy Abramovich, who sacked him even before he could complete a single season in England.

#2 Laurent Blanc - £17 million

Laurent Blanc was very successful as a player and won the FIFA World Cup and EURO Championship with France, while also winning league titles in England, Spain and France.

He proved that he was equally capable as a manager, when he lead a modest Bordeaux side to a second place finish in Ligue 1 and claiming the Manager of the Year award for the 2007-08 season, in his first season in charge at the club.

He won the Ligue 1 next season and followed that with a two-year spell with France national team. But his managerial acumen attracted the attention of PSG's president Nasser Al-Khelafi, who brought him to Parc Des Princes to replace Carlo Ancelotti.

Paris Saint-Germain is a club that is absolutely dominant in Ligue 1 and too good for their league, but their search for the elusive Champions League trophy continues to this day.

Blanc won multiple domestic titles with the club, but failed at the continental stage. That was the major reason why he was relieved of his duties in 2016 and awarded a handsome amount of £17 million as severance.

#1 Jose Mourinho - £18 million

Jose Mourinho is a man that doesn't need an introduction. He's won major honors with every club he's had the chance to lead.

But it is his love-hate relationship with Chelsea that's really special. He had two spells as the Blues manager and in both of the spells he led the team to Premier League glory, and on both the occasions he was sacked by the club management, midway through the following season.

It was his sacking in 2007 that saw Roman Abramovic cough up a whopping £18 million to see him off Stamford Bridge.

To this day, this remains the single biggest sum of money paid to a football manager as part of the severance package. Though Chelsea again had to compensate him with £8.3 million more in 2015 after sacking him for the second time.

It has been reported in the MEN that his huge pay-off clause is what is keeping him in his current position at Manchester United at the moment.