How Much Does a Football Manager Earn?

The importance of Managers in the success of a football club hasn't always been as recognised as it should.

Historically, players were the ones rewarded with the big salaries and favourable terms for their contributions on the field, but in recent times that has shifted.

Now, managers across the footballing world are being paid handsomely for their work both in the spotlight, but also behind the scenes.

But how much do they actually earn?

Top 5 Annual Manager Salaries in 2025 (Club)

1. Diego Simeone- Atletico Madrid- £25.9m

2. Simone Inzaghi- Al-Hilal- £21.8m

3. Pep Guardiola- Man City- £20.7m

4. Mikel Arteta- Arsenal- £15.6m

5. Stefano Pioli- Al-Nassr- 15.5m

Other Key Salaries

- England Manager Thomas Tuchel earns £6-7m per year, he took a wage cut to enter international management after earning between £8-10m at Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

- English League One managers earn on average £180,000 per year

- English League Two managers earn on average £80,000 per year

At the top of the list Diego Simeone's £25.9m in annual wage works out at approximately £497,000 per week, a sum which stacks up extremely well against the salary of footballers worldwide.

There is, however, a significant drop between the highest paid managers in club football, to the highest paid managers on the international stage as shown in Carlo Ancelloti's £8.6m per year salary.

Carlo Ancelotti x Viní Jr.

Tearing it up for Brazil. 🇧🇷🔥 pic.twitter.com/IuvMitQ2mY

— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) June 11, 2025

It is also clear to see the drop off when looking below the elite level, with those in League One and League Two of England earning jaw-droppingly lower amount compared to their counterparts in the higher echelons of the footballing world.

Which Leagues Pay Managers The Most?

Premier League

The Premier League boasts the most fruitful broadcast deals, matchday incomings and overall revenues of any league in the world. That is reflected in the amount that clubs pay their managers.

Pep Guardiola tops the list with an eye-watering £20.7m per year, Mikel Arteta comes next earning £15.6m for completing his duties at Arsenal. Somewhat surprisingly David Moyes is the third highest earner in the Premier League with £12.5m followed by newly appointed Thomas Frank at Spurs with £10m and Unai Emery at Aston Villa who is on £8m per year.

Welcome to Tottenham Hotspur, Thomas Frank 🤍 pic.twitter.com/8nclpkNfCU

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 18, 2025

La Liga

The Spanish top flight is home to some of the biggest clubs in the world such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, not only is that reflected in the calibre of manager across the league but also the salaries they are paid for their services.

La Liga is home to the highest paid manager in the world in Diego Simeone who earns a reported £26.9m at Atletico Madrid. At the other big clubs in Spain Hansi Flick Earns a hefty sum between £8m and £10m at Barcelona, whilst newcomer Xabi Alonso takes home a salary between £6-8m at Real Madrid.

🚨🤍 Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, here we go! Story confirmed and deal sealed for Xabi as new manager until 2028.

Staff sorted, contract in place and three year deal for Alonso with Real planning for him to start at FIFA Club World Cup.

Ancelotti farewell soon, then Xabi era. 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/s6jY4DzZmx

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 12, 2025

Serie A

Serie A has notoriously faced money struggles among its big clubs in recent history, with that being said the money paid to managers in Italy's top division doesn't reach that of the amounts paid in other leagues, but still mark big wages for the top managers.

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Inter Milan are part of the biggest financial scandal in Italian football since Calciopoli.

A confidential report reveals nearly €300m in revenues from fictitious Asian sponsors (2016–2019), allegedly used to bypass Financial Fair Play.

While other clubs… pic.twitter.com/sxeRHT2Q9s

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) June 3, 2025

The highest paid manager earns around £5.5m per season, this figure drops significantly as you move down the league table with the other salaries ranging between £3m and £1.3m per season.

Saudi Pro League

The Saudi Pro League has emerged as a massive spender in recent years, not just in the acquisition of big playing talent from European leagues, but also in the acquisition of top managers from around the world too.

The Saudi Pro League now boasts two of the top five highest paid managers in world football with Simone Inzaghi making the move from Inter Milan to Al Hilal and entering into a contract which sees him earn £21.8m per season, and Stefano Pioli earning a huge £15.5m at Cristiano Ronaldo's club Al Nassr.

🚨🇮🇹 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Simone Inzaghi is the new manager of Saudi side, Al Hilal. 🔵👔

He will earn €26m per season (2 year deal), as per @FabrizioRomano. 🤑 pic.twitter.com/7FLhrUIx32

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) June 4, 2025

Manager Salaries Vs Player Salaries

Despite not always being the case, managers now generally earn a wage comparable to that of a clubs highest paid player.

There are exceptions to this rule due to the sheer star power of the worlds top players and the commercial opportunities they provide to a club. A good example of this is Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr as, despite his manager being the 5th highest earning manager in the world, Ronaldo still earns more money in a day than Pioli does in a whole week.

Merchandising, sponsorship, ticket sales and commercial appeal are all areas where players warrant a higher pay grade than managers But, in recent years, a greater onus and recognition has been garnered for the work done on tactics, team development and the day-today running of the club.

International Vs Club Management

The top earning International manager in the world is Carlo Ancelotti after his recent move from Real Madrid to become the manager of Brazil. The Italian will be making an annual salary of £8m as he prepares for the 2026 World Cup in America next summer.

Ancelotti reportedly earns more than he did in his previous job at Real Madrid, this is a rarity in international football which usually sees managers earn less that they otherwise would in club football.

One example of this is Thomas Tuchel who took a wage cut to become England manager. He now earns between £6-7m per year whereas he was reportedly earning between £8-10m at Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Thomas Tuchel becomes the new England head coach, documents are signed and official statement will follow today.

Contract until July 2026, starting from January 2025 as he requested that condition to the FA; accepted on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/q4dG9q5GUy

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 16, 2024

The Difference Between Men's and Women's Football

When Emma Hayes' was appointed the US Women's national team manager, she became the highest paid women's manager in the world earning a reported £1.3m per year.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes was announced as the new head coach of the US women's football team from this summer 🇺🇸

The English manager will become the highest paid female manager in football, with her $1.3million per year salary matching that of Gregg Berhalter, head coach of… pic.twitter.com/5PJUMFXzNF

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 15, 2023

This is the same fee that Greg Berhalter was earning as manager of the US Men's national team before he was replaced by Mauricio Pochettino and shows the massive strides forward made for the women's game in recent years.

As England Women's national team boss, Sarina Wiegmann earns a reported £400,000 per year, nearly £1m less than her male counterpart in Thomas Tuchel.

Looking at the WSL the highest paid manager last season was Sonia Bompastor at Chelsea who reportedly took home around £300,000. This is a stark contrast from the salaries previously mentioned in the men's Premier League showing that, although women's football has come a long way, there is still a lot of work to do in Women's football.