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While they might not get as much of the spotlight as their players, football managers arguably play the most important role in determining the fate of a team on the pitch.
They are tasked with analysing upcoming opponents and perfecting strategies to achieve victories. They also have varying degrees of autonomy in sanctioning transfer targets.
With the advent of superstar managers in the last two decades, coaches have started earning as much or even more than their players in some cases. Here, we shall be having a rundown of the top 10 highest-paid football coaches in the world at the moment.
#10 Thomas Tuchel (PSG) - €9.6m
Thomas Tuchel was appointed as PSG manager in the summer of 2018 after cutting his teeth in the German league with clubs like Mainz 05, Augsburg II and Borussia Dortmund.
He has won four trophies in his two seasons at the Parc des Princes, including consecutive league titles but like all managers before him, the 46-year-old knows he would ultimately be judged by his performance on the continent.
#9 Antonio Conte (Inter Milan) - €10.8m
Having inherited a disjointed and underperforming Juventus team in the summer of 2011, Antonio Conte went on to achieve immense success by guiding the Bianconeri to four consecutive Scudetti and laying the groundwork for their unprecedented supremacy.
Another record-breaking campaign followed with Chelsea in the Premier League before the former Italian gaffer was appointed as manager of Inter Milan to help restore the Nerazzurri to their former glory.
Although he could not ultimately dethrone his former side in his debut season, there are enough positive signs at the San Siro to suggest that Conte is up to something good with Inter Milan.
#8 Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City) - €12m
After the highs of nearly guiding Liverpool to the title in 2014, Brendan Rodgers was disgraced out of the league just over a year later. However, he redeemed his image with a record-breaking spell as manager of Celtic.
Having disappointed since their surprise title win in 2016, Leicester City took a punt on Brendan Rodgers and gave him a bumper contract in February 2019 to help guide the East Midlands side to glory.
His appointment looks like a shrewd one as the Foxes were in the top three for most of the season and although they are guaranteed of European qualification for the first time in four years; as a sign of how high the standards were set, it would be seen as a major disappointment if they do not make the top four.
#7 Fabio Cannavaro (Guangzhou Evergrande) - €12m
After a storied career that saw him cement his status as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Fabio Cannavaro ventured into the world of coaching and has spent most of the last decade in the dugout of Asian leagues.
After an earlier seven-month stint between 2014 and 2015, the 2006 Ballon d'Or winner was reappointed as manager of Guangzhou Evergrande in 2017, with his contract making him one of the highest-paid managers in the world.
The Italian has repaid the club's faith in him, guiding them to victory in the 2018 Chinese FA Super Cup and Chinese Super League in 2019.
#6 Rafael Benitez (Dalian Yifang) - €13.8m
Rafael Benitez was one of the highest-rated coaches in the world at the turn of the century, following his successes with Valencia and Liverpool. Despite not getting many accolades in recent years, the Spaniard still has an enviable CV.
After a three-year spell with Newcastle United was brought to an end in 2019, the 60-year-old was appointed as manager of Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang, where he would hope to build on the side's 9th-place league finish the season before.
#5 Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) - €16.8m
Zinedine Zidane shocked the world when he announced his resignation as Real Madrid manager in the aftermath of guiding them to a third consecutive Champions League trophy. However, he was brought back to the position less than a year later, with the club looking out-of-sorts.
The Frenchman has continued with his fine work on the bench and has guided Los Blancos to the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup in his first full season back, while glory could yet be achieved in the Champions League.
#4 Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur) - €17.52m
Following his acrimonious sacking from Manchester United in December 2018, Jose Mourinho stayed without a club for almost a year and reportedly turned down several offers before Tottenham Hotspur came calling in November 2019.
The Special One has had mixed results so far in North London, with embarrassing eliminations suffered in the Champions League and FA Cup, although European qualification is still possible.
#3 Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) - €17.52m
At his unveiling, Jurgen Klopp promised to turn fans of Liverpool from doubters to believers and while that might have seemed improbable at the time, owing to the club's immense struggles, the German has fulfilled on his promise.
He overcame the agony of losing three consecutive finals as well as the Premier League in harrowing fashion and went on to achieve success in the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in the space of six months.
After a three-decade wait, Liverpool finally got their hands on the big one. A bumper new deal signed in December 2019 that would see Klopp remain at Anfield through 2024 is just reward for the progress made by the club under his guidance.
#2 Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) - €23.28m
Pep Guardiola is widely regarded as the greatest manager of his generation and one of the greatest of all time. The former Barcelona manager has an impressive track record that only a handful can match.
Having experienced unprecedented successes at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the Spaniard was appointed as manager of Manchester City in 2016 and he has since gone on to build arguably the greatest Premier League side in history.
Given his antecedents, it comes as no surprise that Pep Guardiola is highly paid, although rather surprisingly, continental success continues to elude him.
#1 Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid) €43.6m
In the modern clime, it is rare to see a club that is so defined in the manager's image that the coach becomes the symbol of the club and this is partly due to the precarious nature of the job as well as the global popularity of footballers.
However, Diego Simeone is the exception to the norm and anyone who has followed Atletico Madrid's trajectory in the last decade cannot argue that Los Rojiblancos are an exact replica of the Argentine's personality.
The 50-year-old is currently the highest-paid manager in the world and it is no less than he deserves for his extraordinary transformation of Atletico Madrid.
