2 weeks Ago By Calum Ritchie
Ruben Amorim's appointment at Manchester United has seen him enter the list of the highest-paid managers in the world in 2025. Diego Simeone is the new top earner, with Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta just behind him. Teams from England and Saudi Arabia dominate the list of well-funded coaches.
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 £4.6m There have been some incredible football minds to emerge from Spain.
20 Thomas Franck - 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. 19 Xabi Alonso – Bayer Leverkusen 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.
18 Ange Postecoglou - Tottenham Hotspur 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. 17 Simone Inzaghi – Inter Milan 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.
16 Thomas Tuchel - England With Gareth Southgate stepping down as England boss, Thomas Tuchel has been selected as his successor and will make a very pretty penny as a result. The Three Lions have won just one major piece of silverware throughout their history, but the German will bring a winner's pedigree with him. Through spells with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, he's won a handful of trophies over the years.
That experience with winning has seen him immediately become one of the highest-paid managers in the world with his appointment. If he manages to deliver England their first triumph since 1966, though, his salary will be regarded as a huge bargain. 15 Arne Slot – Liverpool Arne Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss in the summer of 2024.
The German will go down as one of the greatest managers in the Reds' history , yet it is now up to Slot to carry on his legacy at Anfield. Arriving from Feyenoord, where he won the Eredivisie once, the Dutchman has an exciting style of play and enjoyed a fast start to his time on Merseyside. Liverpool didn't splash out in Slot's first transfer window - only making one major addition to the first-team squad in the form of Federico Chiesa for £10m.
FSG can't blame the lack of investment on their new manager's wage demands - Slot takes home less than half the basic salary Klopp commanded last season. 14 Ruben Amorim - Manchester United After Manchester United finally parted ways with Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim was swiftly named as his successor after less than a week of scoping for the Dutchman's heir. The Portuguese man penned a deal at Old Trafford that runs until 2027 and has an option for a further year.
The latest to test his luck in football's most pressure-laden job is reportedly set to pocket £6.5m per season whilst working at the Theatre of Dreams. He joins after having taken Sporting Lisbon back to the pinnacle of his homeland, delivering them a league title following a 19-year hiatus.
13 Vincent Kompany – Bayern Munich Despite finding himself at the bottom of Bayern Munich's potential list of managerial candidates in the summer of 2024 - behind a failed U-turn for Thomas Tuchel, the head coach who the club was sacking in the first place - Vincent Kompany has been handsomely rewarded upon his arrival in Bavaria. Just 18 short days after Burnley's Premier League relegation was confirmed, the Clarets had their manager poached by the record Bundesliga champions . On top of Kompany's steep salary - which is roughly £2m less than Tuchel took home during his solitary season in Munich - Bayern had to stump up a £10.
2m compensation fee to extract the Belgian manager from his existing deal with Burnley. It isn't just players commanding large fees these days. 12 Laurent Blanc - Al Ittihad After an unsuccessful spell at Olympique Lyonnais, where he was sacked in 2023, Laurent Blanc may not have expected Al Ittihad to offer him a golden bridge to join the Saudi club.
But such was the case. And so it was that the French world champion joined the Middle East last July, on a salary of around £8.3m.
It is a move that has clearly paid off for the 58-year-old coach, who is now aiming to see his team crowned champions, who currently sit at the top of the table alongside giants Al-Hilal, but ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr. 11 Unai Emery - Aston Villa Aston Villa are in dreamland at the moment. After Unai Emery steered the side from 17th in the table to 7th during his first campaign in charge, bringing European football back to Villa for the first time in 13 years, the Spaniard then followed up this triumph with a new five-year contract, as he pockets £8m-per-year in the midlands.
Having started this campaign so brilliantly, too, the club's hierarchy probably wouldn't be against giving him more, either. They currently reside in the top four of the Premier League table and sit comfortably atop the Champions League group phase after beating Bayern Munich. 10 Carlo Ancelotti – Real Madrid The most surprising thing about Ancelotti's salary is arguably the fact he isn't on as much as some of the other names on this list.
The Italian has done an excellent job at the Bernabeu since arriving in 2021, adding two Champions Leagues and as many La Liga titles to his impressive trophy haul. His work in Madrid has been rewarded with a contract extension, with Ancelotti signing a new deal with Los Blancos until 2026 , having been linked with the Brazil managerial position. Kylian Mbappe was added to a glittering squad ahead of the 2024/25 season, which could see them add another title to their illustrious collection, even if things have gotten to a slow start following a crushing 4-0 defeat against Barcelona recently.
9 Jorge Jesus – Al Hilal Jorge Jesus has had a long and mixed managerial career. His most successful spell came with Benfica when he won the league title three times and reached the Europa League final twice. Now he finds himself in charge of Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.
As is the case with players moving to the Middle East, Jesus is on a luxury wage. He previously managed the club in 2018, yet he has set the world alight in his second spell. Jesus won the 2023 Saudi Super Cup, King Cup, and Saudi Pro League, surpassing the 100-goal mark for the season and finishing with a record 96 points, 14 points ahead of their closest rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr.
Talk about an immediate impact. 8 Jose Mourinho – Fenerbahce Jose Mourinho transcends the role of a football manager. After dethroning Pep Guardiola's legendary Barcelona vintage by leading Real Madrid to the 2011/12 La Liga title, the Spanish edition of Rolling Stone magazine named the Portuguese icon as its 'Rockstar of the Year'.
More than a decade later, Mourinho's tactical supremacy has waned, but his global appeal is emphatically intact. Five months after getting sacked by Roma, Mourinho was installed as Fenerbahce's new head coach. The self-styled 'Special One' received a welcome fit for a conquering warlord.
In front of thousands of adoring supporters, Mourinho declared: "This shirt is my skin." The club's board members are clearly big fans considering their new hire's enormous salary. 7 Matthias Jaissle - Al Ahli Regarded as one of the great hopes of the German coaching world, Matthias Jaissle's career has taken a turn he perhaps did not expect.
Sacked by Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2023, the young coach was set to begin a new chapter in his coaching career with Al Ahli. And his first season was crowned with success, as he led his troops, just promoted to Saudi football's elite, to the third step of the podium, synonymous with qualification for the 2024/25 Asian Champions League. It is now up to him to take his team, currently fifth in the Saudi Pro League standings, to the next level.
6 Luis Enrique – Paris Saint-Germain Luis Enrique has consistently been at the top of professional football for over a decade. After guiding Barcelona to a European treble , he is now occupying the hot seat in the French capital. Enrique won Ligue 1 during his first season at the club but crashed out of the Champions League semi-finals with a whimper.
The former Real Madrid midfielder will be hopeful they can change that for the 2024/25 campaign. After losing Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid , PSG have opted for a team of young talents instead of a squad full of established superstars. It's a risky move, yet Enrique has shown before that he can unite anyone.
5 David Moyes - Everton One of the most exciting stories of the Premier League season has come from Everton. After a disastrous start to the season under Sean Dyche, the Liverpudlian club decided to entrust the reins of their first team to an old hand, David Moyes. And to say that the marriage is off to the best possible start is no exaggeration.
Currently 16th in the table, the Toffees have won three league games in a row to move away from the drop zone. All of which goes some way to justifying the substantial pay-offs received by the former West Ham coach. But be warned, the season is still long.
4 Stefano Pioli - Al Nassr Saudi Arabia is definitely a paradise for coaches. After Jaissle and Blanc, Stefano Pioli is the latest coach to feature in this ranking. Having left his post as AC Milan coach at the end of the 2023/24 season, the Italian took only a short time to bounce back and sign for Al-Nassr.
An ambitious club, the 59-year-old coach still has the onerous task of managing a squad featuring some of the biggest names in world football, including Ronaldo, Aymeric Laporte, Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran. Currently third in the league, his team will have to put in a perfect second half of the season if they hope to lift the league title at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. 3 Mikel Arteta – Arsenal Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is now the third best-paid manager in the world after signing a new three-year deal in north London.
Although it hasn't always been easy going, the Spaniard has done an incredible job at the Emirates Stadium, getting rid of the deadwood while implementing an exciting brand of football which has put the Gunners back in the Premier League title picture. Arsenal came so close to ending their title drought in 2022/23, and they missed out on glory on the final day of the season in 2024. Although Arteta's new deal sees him earn a base salary of £13m-per-year , that can increase to more than £15m if he wins trophies.
Considering how close the Gunners have come in recent times, he stands an excellent chance of securing that bonus. 2 Pep Guardiola – Manchester City After a treble-winning campaign in 2023, it's just a given that Guardiola not only the highest-paid boss in England , but also the world. However, with four league titles won in a row, it's easy to see why he's on such a mammoth salary - especially when he's considered to be the best manager in the world right now .
This adventure began in 2016 and is set to continue until at least 2026. Unless his team's poor form is detrimental enough to prompt his management to part company with him in the coming months. From newly-promoted Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna to Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, here are the ten longest serving managers right now.
1 Diego Simeone – Atletico Madrid For years, Atletico Madrid 's Diego Simeone was the highest-paid manager in the world - and by some distance. The explosive Argentine managed to topple Barcelona and Real Madrid on two different occasions to lift the La Liga title and led the club which he captained to a pair of Champions League finals - both of which were painfully lost to city rivals, Real. Throughout the 2022/23 campaign - which was soured by underwhelming domestic displays and a disastrous group-stage Champions League exit, sparking ill-will in the crowd and boardroom - there were growing whispers that Simeone's illustrious reign could come to an end.
But El Cholo would not go gentle into that good night. Crucially, Simeone's players never lost faith in their coach and everyone else soon came around. The former Argentina international penned a four-year extension in November 2023 that came with a steep salary reduction, only improving Simeone's legendary standing among a fanbase that once again adored El Cholo.
Data from ESPN , The Athletic , The Guardian , Diario AS , the Sun and the Daily Mail (Correct as of 09/04/25).
