Footballers are paid exorbitant salaries these days. Given the kind of money flowing into the sport in terms of sponsorship deals, tie-ups and more, it’s no surprise they see the value in what they offer a lot more than generations past.
But it isn’t only them who are making boatloads in football. Managers these days are paid just as highly as many of world’s best players and for long, have been denied that right. They coach, they run the club and they decide the future of the institution long after they’re retired and more, they deserve the kind of money that belies their contribution.
Here’s looking at ten of the world’s highest paid managers in world football: (Metric: wage per month)
#10 Unai Emery – Paris Saint-Germain – £357,000-a-month
Given the miracles he pulled off at his former club, Sevilla, it’s no wonder Unai Emery could get on this list with his new job at Paris Saint-Germain. The Parisian giants were looking for a manager who could win them the UEFA Champions League and given the Spaniard’s experience in helping his side win the UEFA Europa League three times in a row, it seemed like a logical option.
Things haven’t exactly gone to plan, however, with Paris Saint-Germain suffering in the Ligue 1 – sitting third on the Christmas weekend. But there’s time and he has the kind of players capable of seeing them top of the table come the end of the season – with new signing Julian Draxler likely to play a huge part in.
The Parisians have drawn FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, so that will be the first proper test for the Spaniard with the French club.
#9 Zinedine Zidane – Real Madrid – £382,000-a-month
Real Madrid are amongst the only two unbeaten sides in Europe’s top five leagues – with Bundesliga’s Hoffenheim being the only other one – and they’re playing like they’re determined to win the title this year.
And there’s something different about the club this season. They didn’t spend heavily in the summer, they didn’t do a lot in how the youth progress into the first team but something about them feels different.
It all boils down to Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman has been an incredible coach for the side and deserves to be on this list – albeit higher, at least come the end of the season.
#8 Antonio Conte – Chelsea – £545,000-a-month
Antonio Conte is the next manager on the list and having only signed for Chelsea this summer, has the capabilities to rise up the table – especially if his side continue to play like they have in recent months.
Chelsea are currently unbeaten in eleven Premier League games and are on top of the Premier League table, six points clear of second-placed Liverpool FC. Conte has had a lot of success winning multiple titles with Juventus in the past.
It won’t be too long before he starts winning with the Blues.
#7 Jurgen Klopp – Liverpool – £590,000-a-month
It feels like it’s been a long time since Jurgen Klopp took over the club but it’s only been a little over a year and he already feels like the kind of manager who can take the Reds back to the top of the English first division.
Liverpool have never won the Premier League and under the tutelage of such a manager, they have the kind of chance finally. And Klopp’s paid a lot of money to help them do so. At £590,000-a-month, he’s the seventh highest paid manager in the world and the fourth highest paid manager in the Premier League.
#6 Diego Simeone – Atletico Madrid – £655,000-a-month
He’s beaten eternal powerhouses in Real Madrid and Barcelona to the La Liga title and guiding his team to the finals of the UEFA Champions League twice in the last three years. It’s a surprise to see the Argentine Diego Simeone on the bottom half of this list.
Simeone though might not stay at the Madrid club for a lot longer and has a standing offer from Italian giants, Inter Milan, his former club, to become their manager. Should he go back to the club that made him famous, Simeone could earn a lot more money and rise on this list.
And given he has age on his side, he’s capable of earning a lot more than a host of names on this list.
#5 Arsene Wenger – Arsenal – £700,000-a-month
Despite his shortcomings in winning the Premier League in recent seasons, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger is a man who commands a lot of respect in the footballing world. He’s experienced, he’s won a lot of titles and he’s promoted a brand of football even the world still loses its breath over.
Wenger is in his last season with the Gunners and earns the kind of money he does because of who he is and how well the club have progressed under him. Arsenal look a strong side this season and should they win a trophy, maybe his future will still lie with them.
#4 Carlo Ancelotti – Bayern Munich – £851,000-a-month
Perhaps the most charming manager on this list, Italian Carlo Ancelotti is a manager capable of taking over any footballing side in the world. He’s won titles everywhere he’s been and he’s been the kind of manager everyone in the club love: the staff, the hierarchy and the fans.
And given he’s taken over arguably the third biggest club in the world, it’s fitting he’s been paid so highly by the club. Ancelotti is an excellent tactician and is the kind of manager capable of converting a mediocre side to a top-notch winning machine.
#3 Jose Mourinho – Manchester United – £1,150,000-a-month
Jose Mourinho is considered one of the best managers in world football currently. His ability to motivate teams is unmatched and he even has the technical know-how in assembling ‘complete’ football sides capable of attacking and defending equally well.
Mourinho has won titles with FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid in the past. And given the financial backing he has at Manchester United, as well as the chance to already call upon some of the best players in the world, he’s only destined for more.
#2 Pep Guardiola – Manchester City – £1,250,000-a-month
Regarded as the best football manager the world has ever seen, it’s no wonder Pep Guardiola is this high up on the list. He joined Manchester City in the summer and is becoming the kind of manager who wins titles in every league.
Having dominated in Spain with Barcelona, Pep would win three League titles in three years in Germany with Bayern Munich. And now, he’s come to dominate arguably the most competitive league in the world in the Premier League.
If recent form is anything to go by, Pep might take a little longer to stamp his authority in the league.
#1 Luis Enrique – FC Barcelona – £1,300,000-a-month
The manager of one of the two biggest sides in world football is a manager worthy of being the highest-paid manager of all time. Luis Enrique has been incredible for the Catalans ever since taking over a little more than two years ago.
Two La Liga titles, one UEFA Champions League in two years is incredible for manager – even at a huge club like Barcelona – but he’s done so with the kind of style that separates him from the rest they’ve had in history.
Luis Enrique is highly regarded for his work ethic, his ability to mould youngsters in quality footballers and more. It’s no wonder he’s number 1 on this list.
