Being a football manager is a thankless task. It brings an incredible amount of pressure, often without too much reward. Unless a manager retires or resigns, they will be sacked from their job as soon as results become less than satisfactory. But if they are good enough to manage at the top level, they will be extremely well paid for the gig.
An insane amount of money is flying around in the beautiful game, with elite players and managers being paid mind-blowing sums. The finances have only continued to grow over the years, especially with Saudi Pro League clubs handing out huge contracts to lure the likes of Laurent Blanc to their shores.
Due to this, we have outlined the 20 highest-paid managers in the world, stretching from the international game to the desperation to win the Champions League at certain clubs. The dynamic in the sport is consistently changing — and it’s likely these managers will be at the forefront.
The Highest-Paid Managers in World Football (2025)
Position
Manager
Club
Yearly wage
1.
Diego Simeone
Atletico Madrid
£25.9m
2.
Pep Guardiola
Manchester City
£20.7m
3.
Mikel Arteta
Arsenal
£15.6m*
4.
Stefano Pioli
Al Nassr
£15.5m
5.
David Moyes
Everton
£12.5m
6.
Luis Enrique
Paris Saint-Germain
£9.6m
7.
Matthias Jaissle
Al Ahli
£9.6m
8.
Jose Mourinho
Fenerbahce
£9.2m
9.
Jorge Jesus
Al Hilal
£8.6m
10.
Carlo Ancelotti
Real Madrid
£8.3m
11.
Unai Emery
Aston Villa
£8.3m
12.
Laurent Blanc
Al Ittihad
£8.3m
13.
Vincent Kompany
Bayern Munich
£7.8m
14.
Ruben Amorim
Manchester United
£6.7m
15.
Arne Slot
Liverpool
£6.4m
16.
Thomas Tuchel
England
£6m
17.
Simone Inzaghi
Inter Milan
£5.6m
18.
Ange Postecoglou
Tottenham
£5.2m
19.
Xabi Alonso
Bayer Leverkusen
£5.1m
20.
Thomas Frank
Brentford
Announced as Brentford’s head coach in 2018, Thomas Frank has not only led the London club to promotion to the Premier League in 2021, but has since stabilised them there. Even more impressively, in 2023 he established the Bees as genuine contenders for Europe, leading them to ninth place in the league table, just two points away from qualification for the Europa League Conference.
Under his guidance, his team also managed to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 League Cup and set their record in the competition. And although the 2023/24 season has been more complicated, the Dane continues to enjoy a fine reputation and great love from his supporters.
Xabi Alonso guided Bayer Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title in 2024. In doing so, he led them on the longest unbeaten streak out of the major leagues in Europe, something which was never expected just a year beforehand.
The Spaniard is loved by the club, players and fans, knowing they can trust him to inspire when the moment calls. They scored countless last-minute winners — and that’s partially due to Alonso’s confidence on the touchline. He was linked with a move to Liverpool and Bayern Munich in 2024, but he turned down offers of far larger salaries to stay at his current club.
As everyone knows, coaching Tottenham is by no means an easy task. And not because the resources made available to the coach are not substantial enough, but rather because the team is used to producing performances that fall short of the expectations of its followers.
A fact that Ange Postecoglou, who arrived in 2023 from Celtic, has seen for himself. But the Australian is determined to take the London club to the top of English football and finally help them win their first title since 2008. A good run in the FA Cup could help him achieve this in the coming weeks.
After a few years of disappointment, Inter Milan have returned to the summit of Italian and European football, and Simone Inzaghi is a big reason why. The tactician has stamped his authority on the team since arriving in 2021, lifting several domestic cups with the Nerrazurri, and advancing to the Champions League final in 2022/23.
Deploying a dizzying style of fluid football, the former Lazio striker also won the Serie A title in 2024 by beating bitter rivals AC Milan. Inzaghi signed a one-year contract extension to stay at San Siro until 2026 in July, ensuring that he became the outright highest earner among managers in Italy’s top flight.
