In the fascinating world of football, managers have by far the most stressful job. Although the players are the main protagonists on the pitch, the tactician would be the first to face the axe when things go south.
So for such exacting role, one would expect an enticing paycheck that makes it worth all the trouble. Or perhaps it’s just a natural resort for retired footballers who are forced to find a new profession in their thirties.
So how much do football managers get paid? And how does the average salary defer from one league to another?
Let’s begin our study.
Average Football Manager Salary
Identifying an average salary for a football manager remains a quasi-impossible task since we’re talking about an immense spectrum and a vast gulf between elite coaches who are on top of the pyramid and their colleagues who are in charge of lower-league clubs, or even amateur sides.
While the likes of José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola can collect more than 10 million pounds per season, a manager who coaches in England’s League 2 might hardly collect 50k per year. It’s a similar case to player salaries, where the gap is as comprehensive.
Moreover, Indeed suggests that the base salary of a football manager in the United Kingdom is £26,694 per year, which isn’t exactly a seductive figure. However, this is surely based on the wages of academy coaches or amateur league managers, so it doesn’t reflect the salaries of those who ply their trades at the higher echelon.
How Much Do Professional Football Managers Earn?
As we mentioned above, the wages of professional football managers largely depend on the financial status of their employers. So in this section, we’ll reveal the average salaries of coaches in each of the Top five leagues in Europe, in addition to the lower professional leagues in English football.
Premier League Football Manager Average Salary
The average salary of a Premier League manager is around 7 million pounds. Our calculation is based on a report from The Sun which revealed the wages of EPL coaches.
With England’s top-flight being by far the richest domestic league in football, the average salary of its managers is easily the highest in the world, with no other league getting close.
The Premier League is the home of some of the most renowned managers in the world, but at the time of writing, Pep Guardiola sits on top of the list as the highest earner on English shores, with a yearly salary of £19 million, with his old nemesis Jurgen Klopp (£16M) landing in the runner-up spot.
Championship Football Manager Average Salary
The average salary of a Championship Football manager is circa £870,000. This is according to DNA of Sports which adds that the highest wage in England’s second-tier league is £3.46 million.
Naturally, these figures pale in comparison to those registered in the Premier League. Nonetheless, the Championship remains head and shoulders above all other second-division leagues in the world on both sporting and financial levels, so one would argue that these numbers are relatively impressive.
THE AVERAGE SALARY OF A PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGER IS AROUND £7 MILLION PER yEAR
League One Football Manager Average Salary
League One Football is the third division in English Football’s echelon, and the average yearly salary for a manager in this league is around £180,000.
So while this fee is incomparable to the figures collected by Premier League managers or even Championship coaches, it remains a handsome salary that no other third-division in Europe would be able to provide.
League Two Football Manager Average Salary
League Two Football is the fourth tier amongst England’s professional football leagues, and the average yearly salary for a manager in this league is around £80,000 pounds. The lowest paid manager in the league collects 45,000 pounds per year.
La Liga Football Manager Average Salary
While several La Liga managers have undisclosed wages, we estimate that the league average is around 4 million pounds.
Although the vast majority of La Liga coaches collect less than this estimated figure, Diego Simeone’s astronomical salary is enough to raise the average. The longtime serving Atletico Madrid boss pockets whooping £3OM per year, which cements him as the highest earning manager in the world, and by a considerable margin.
Bundesliga Football Manager Average Salary
The average salary of a Bundesliga manager is approximately 2.9 million Euro (or 2.56M pounds) per year based on the figures posted by Totalsportal.com.
Before getting the sack in March 2023, former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann started the 2022/23 campaign as the best-paid manager in Germany, collecting more than double of every other Bundesliga manager in the league.
Serie A Football Manager Average Salary
The average salary of a Serie A manager is approximately 2 million Euro (or £1.8 million). This according to the figures published by the Cult of Calcio.
While several coaches in Italy’s top flight collect less than a million (sometimes less than some of their players), the salaries of Roma boss José Mourinho and Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri boosted the average. As we’ll see in the following section, these two men are amongst the Top 10 highest earning managers in the world.
Highest Paid Football Managers in the World
Now it’s time to reveal the names and wages of the ten highest paid football managers in the world.
| Rank | Manager | Nationality | Club | League | Yearly Salary (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diego Simeone | Argentina | Atletico Madrid | La Liga | 30 million |
| 2 | Pep Guardiola | Spain | Manchester City | Premier League | 19.5 million |
| 3 | Jurgen Klopp | Germany | Liverpool | Premier League | 16 million |
| =4 | Erik ten Hag | Netherlands | Manchester United | Premier League | 10 million |
| =4 | Thomas Tuchel | Germany | Bayern Munich | Bundesliga | 10 million |
| 6 | Mikel Artera | Spain | Arsenal | Premier League | 9.5 million |
| 7 | Massimiliano Allegri | Italy | Juventus | Serie A | 8 million |
| 8 | Carlo Ancelotti | Italy | Real Madrid | La Liga | 6.5 million |
| 9 | José Mourinho | Portugal | Roma | Serie A | 6.2 million |
| 10 | Simone Inzaghi | Italy | Inter | Serie A | 4.5 million |
How Much Do Football Managers Get Paid?
As we can conclude based on all the above, the salary of a football manager largely depends on several aspects, most notably the person’s profile, experience and career achievements, as well as the financial status of his employers.
For instance, Carlo Ancelotti arguably possesses the most impressive trophy cabinet amongst active managers and he’s at the helm of the most successful European club in history. Yet, the Italian doesn’t land on top of the list, as Premier League managers dominate the higher echelon of the Top 10.
The English top flight is by far the richest domestic league in the world, so managing in the EPL guarantees a handsome payday. Even Championship Football managers collect lucrative salaries compared to other second-division leagues.
But when it comes to the other Top European leagues, there’s always a large gulf between the wages provided by some of the top clubs and their less prestigious counterparts.
