15 Clubs With the Highest Wage Bills in World Football

Footballer’s wages have become a bit of a sour conversation in recent times – and it makes complete sense given how extortionate some of their wage bills are! Premier League clubs tend to dominate the continent in regard to how much they pay their players, but it is sides from other European top flights that also find themselves at the summit of the pack. The ever-growing Saudi Pro League is quickly becoming a thorn in their competition, however.

That is thanks to the fact there are superstars such as Kylian Mbappe, who line their pockets with £1,182,110-per-week. European teams – mainly from England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain – are typically found battling it out in the latter stages of the Champions League and Europa League stages, where they are rewarded financially and thus, cause a vicious financial circle that outsiders find difficult to interject into.

However, the summer transfer window has now slammed firmly shut: no more players will be bumping up a club’s wage bill, while no well-paid players will be offloaded to free up some much-needed space, either. And so, we thought, what better time to take a look at the top 15 wage-spenders in world football? Here is a full rundown of how much the top 15 teams in European circles pay in yearly wages – via figures from Capology.

15 Atletico Madrid, La Liga

Wage bill: £114,306,991

Despite being commonly known as the third-biggest club in Spain, Atletico Madrid’s wage bill is dwarfed by Barcelona and Real Madrid’s. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak stands tall – both physically and metaphorically – at the front of Atletico’s pack – thanks to both his imposing stature and his hefty wage bill. The 31-year-old earns just short of £18m-per-year in Spain, and he is the only Atletico player to break the £300,000-per-week mark.

Star man Antoine Griezmann is the club’s second-highest earner on £201,419-per-week, while summer addition and ex-Chelsea engine room operator, Conor Gallagher, takes home just less than the Frenchman. The Englishman, who has scored two goals in all competitions this term from midfield, earns a cool £145,022 on a weekly basis.

14 Inter Milan, Serie A

Wage bill: £118,722,751

Inter Milan have one-upped their San Siro rivals AC Milan, a side who do not make the top 15, by forking out more on wages over the course of the year – £118,722,751, to be precise. Exciting trio Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu are among the highest earners at the San Siro, though the rest of the hefty wage bill is relatively spread out.

After reaching the final of the Champions League in 2022/23, Simone Inzaghi’s side will have every belief they can take it one step further in the coming years – and have a spine of players such as Alessandro Bastoni (£164,197-per-week) and Piotr Zielinski (£134,226-per-week) whom will certainly aid their cause.

13 Liverpool, Premier League

Wage bill: £128,804,000

Liverpool saw a lot of senior players, who would have been earning a hefty amount, leave over the summer of 2023. They have been replaced, of course, but with lesser-known stars that are likely to earn much less than the veterans that have departed, including the likes of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara and James Milner, who took home a large chunk of the wage bill.

At the top of their highest earners is Egyptian marksman Mohamed Salah, who earns £130,000 more per week than their second-highest earner, Virgil van Dijk, with the Dutchman pocketing £220,000-per-week. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andyr Robertson follow on £180,000-per-week and £160,000-per-week, respectively, while midfield ace Alexis Mac Allister takes home an annual salary of £7.8 million, which equates to £150,000-per-week.

12 Al-Ahli, Saudi Pro League

Wage bill: £209.64 million

Following Ivan Toney’s arrival from Brentford over the summer months, Al-Ahli now find themselves rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite in terms of what clubs spent on paying players’ wages. The ex-Premier League marksman earns, per Capology, 411,057-per-week as the club’s second-highest earner.

Expectedly, Riyad Mahrez – whose stint at Manchester City made him such an attractive prospect – pockets the most (£841,128 on a weekly basis), while ex-Liverpool magician Roberto Firmino earns, in comparison, a modest £306,158 per week. Franck Kessie and Gabri Veiga take home a respective £11,730,669 and £10,054,859 per annum.

11 Barcelona, La Liga

Wage bill: £158,238,347

Having the likes of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez leave your side is always a sad day, but looking at the positive influence on the balance of your club’s wages is always there to alleviate the loss. Talisman Robert Lewandowksi is now large and in charge at the top of their wage list, taking home a whopping £537,065-per-week, while Frenkie de Jong, contrary to common belief, takes home considerably less (£306,158-per-week).

From the 28 players in the squad, half of those enjoy a weekly take home of £100,000-per-week entering their bank accounts, with Ansu Fati (£224,784) and Jules Kounde (£218,339) nearing the summit of Blaugrana’s top earners. As is the modern world, Barcelona are much more a global conglomerate rather than merely a football team and, as such, can afford to offload hefty wages on their players.

10 Chelsea, Premier League

Wage bill: £171,210,000

The Blues have been known to spend big in the transfer market since Todd Boehly took over with their 2023 summer coup, worth £115 million, for Moises Caicedo’s signature being a prime example of their exuberant spending. It seems, however, they are seemingly more sensible when it comes to paying player wages, especially as they have so many to cover.

They are the third-biggest wage-paying club in the Premier League with their total spend on a yearly basis being £339.70m. Raheem Sterling, formerly of Liverpool and Manchester City, stands in first place on £325,000-per-week with Reece James being the only other player to score more than £200,000-per-week in west London.

9 Al-Ittihad, Saudi Pro League

Wage bill: £172,130,809

It should come as no surprise that Karim Benzema, a former goal machine for Real Madrid in his pomp, is earning big bucks in the twilight period of his career – which he is spending in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad. Despite the Frenchman enduring an array of troubles since his move, seeing £1,611,356 entering his bank account will, most likely, soften the blow.

His compatriot, N’Golo Kante, who is regarded as one of the most likeable footballers on the planet, also pockets a pretty penny from his Saudi Pro League employers – £402,839 every week to be exact, but that is expected from a two-time Premier League winner. Former Aston Villa man Moussa Diaby and Fabinho, ex-Liverpool destroyer, are also big earners.

8 Arsenal, Premier League

Wage bill: £172,146,000

Arsenal’s Kai Havertz is their biggest earner and pockets just shy of £15 million-per-year on his fresh deal, while 18 of Arsenal’s 22-strong squad earn over £100,000-per-week. Mikel Arteta and his team have the Premier League, arguably the world’s biggest division, to thank for their big spending, both in terms of transfer fees and wages.

Declan Rice, the club’s marquee signing two summers ago, is the club’s joint-third highest earner with Martin Odegaard, with the engine room duo earning £240,000-per-week and £12.84m-per-year. With their overall expenditure growing, the north Londoners’ higher-ups will be keen to get some silverware in their cabinet sooner rather than later as a means of showing benefits for splashing the cash.

7 Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1

Wage bill: £174,870,761

Paris Saint-Germain once sat second the list by a comfortable distance. But with Lionel Messi and Neymar long gone from the lofty wage bill and Kylian Mbappe’s recent departure to Los Blancos helping their case, they are now ranked in seventh with their players taking home a collective £174,870,761-per year.

What’s most interesting about PSG’s position is that they are the only team from the French top division to feature. Ousmane Dembele and Lucas Hernandez – the club’s second and third-highest earners – earn £322,271 and £306,158-per-week, but their take home is significantly lower than the former star Mbappe, expectedly. Veteran Marquinhos, Milan Skriniar and Achraf Hakimi are also among their highest-earning assets.

6 Manchester United, Premier League

Wage bill: £185,580,000

The Manchester-based outfit previously set up a so-called ‘Ronaldo rule’ which will prevent new signings from earning more than £200,000 per week in wages, while those already present at the club will remain unscathed. That, however, has not stopped them from earning sixth place on the list.

Marcus Rashford’s shiny five-year contract would’ve bumped the numbers up a tad, mind, with him now earning £300,000-per-week – similarly to skipper Bruno Fernandes. Former Real Madrid man Casemiro earns £350,000 at Old Trafford, which also brings up their overall spend. Mason Mount is the club’s fourth-joint highest-earning asset, pocketing a quarter of a million pounds a week, while Antony earns £200,000-per-week.

5 Manchester City, Premier League

Wage bill: £201,864,000

In comparison to some sides in the Premier League such as Ipswich Town, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are far more generous – but saying that, they receive a bucket load more revenue via various streams. They top their cross-town neighbours by a smidge, but that is subject to change in the coming campaigns.

Kevin De Bruyne is the division’s highest earner on £400,000-per-week and the goal-gobbling Erling Haaland isn’t too far behind, earning just £25,000-per-week less than the Belgian magician. On a healthy £300,000-per-week is Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish, while ending their list of five highest earners is John Stones on £250,000-per-week.

4 Al-Hilal, Saudi Pro League

Wage bill: £225,530,490

Santos graduate Neymar has always been among his club’s highest-earners thanks to his showmanship and undeniable flair. Fans pay to watch the flicks and tricks and, by virtue of the Brazilian having that in abundance, he earns a whopping £1,611,356 every week at his current employers, irrespective of his damning injury problems which continue to persist.

The former Barcelona ace, one of the most expensive transfers in football history, plays alongside the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly (£559,140) and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (£402,839) when fit, while ex-Fulham marksman Aleksandar Mitrovic leads the Al-Hilal line, all while pocketing just north of £20 million every year.

3 Real Madrid, La Liga

Wage bill: £227,298,472

Looking to regain their credibility as Champions League victors, Real Madrid are world football’s third-highest spenders – at least from a wages perspective. Posterboy, and summer addition, Kylian Mbappe is the top earner at the Santiago Bernabeu, though there are a host of names all on bumper contracts in excess of £200,000-per-week.

All in good time, sensation Jude Bellingham was, perhaps, poised to become their highest-earning star before Mbappe’s arrival; but for now, the England international is pocketing £335,645-per-week – the same as Brazilian ace Vinicius Jr, Federico Valverde and David Alaba are also among the names that earn a shed load in the Spanish capital – but that’s expected given how experienced they are at the top level.

2 Bayern Munich, Bundesliga

Wage bill: £232,661,063

Standing in second spot in the list is Bayern Munich, though not much separates them from third-placed Real Madrid. Other than Dortmund, who placed 13th, there is a real lack of Bundesliga teams in this list. Kane – as expected – finds himself at the top of the pile and is earning £402,839-per-week since his switch to Bavaria, but is closely followed by the likes of Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane and Joshua Kimmich.

The German heavyweights have become a fixture in Europe’s top table and are looking to break their curse by matching the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City, with the aforementioned Englishman leading the line. Kane, in particular, remains trophyless after failing to get his hands on silverware during his maiden campaign.

1 Al-Nassr, Saudi Pro League

Wage bill: £158,238,347

Following the boom of the beautiful game in the Middle East, the wages we’re currently witnessing have truly spiraled out of control. It’s now almost inconceivable how much money footballers – Cristiano Ronaldo, most notably – are actually earning. The Portuguese talisman, widely recognised as one of the best footballers of all time, pockets £3,222,711 on a week-by-week basis.

Former Premier League duo Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte are also among Al-Nassr’s top earners with them taking home £644,542 and £394,782-per-week, respectively. Given how fruitful footballers are paid in Saudi Arabia – it’s expected that it will continue to grow in size and stature, all thanks to being able to support their players financially.