Man Utd 8th and Real Madrid 4th: Top 20 clubs with highest wage bills

24/25 season 

Millions of children dream of becoming footballers when they are younger but only a miniscule percentage achieve their ambitions. It’s near impossible to reach the pinnacle of the most popular sport in the world but it’s an incredibly lucrative career for those that manage it. Over the decades, footballer’s wages have skyrocketed with the leading stars now earning hundreds of thousands per week.

It’s widely documented that Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest paid footballer on the planet with the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend on an eye-watering salary at Al-Nassr. Naturally, major clubs don’t release their salary list but UEFA’s annual Financial Landscape report shines a spotlight on how much clubs are paying their squad. With that report dropping on Thursday, we’ve analysed the top 20 clubs with the biggest wages for the 2024/25 season.

Which clubs have the biggest wage bills?

Unsurprisingly, English Premier League clubs dominate the top 20 list with nine entries with Manchester City having the highest wage bill across the 2024/25 season, according to UEFA. The Citizen’s salary list stood at €557m with Erling Haaland their top earner according to reputable reports. Barcelona are marginally ahead of PSG in second place and their salary issues have been well-documented with their inability to register players.

Real Madrid and Liverpool complete the top five list as the only two other clubs with wage bills over €500m. Bayern Munich are the top Bundesliga club in seventh place at €443m with England captain Harry Kane their top earner. Champions League finalists Inter Milan are the top Serie A club (€260m) narrowly ahead of arch rivals Juventus. Galatasaray are the top clubs from outside the top five leagues in 25th place at €178m.