Which sports and teams pay their managers and players the most, and which have the biggest difference between the two?
Which sports and teams pay their managers and players the most, and which have the biggest difference between the two?
Managers and players are both essential parts of the success or failure of sports teams all around the world, but is that sentiment of parity mirrored in the financial statistics?
From the biggest stars of American sports to the tremendous talents on show at the top of European football, huge sums of money are paid to the top sporting talents across the world.
We have studied the wages earned in some of the world’s most lucrative sporting competitions to discover which managers are paid best compared to their players, and which sports and teams are the most financially rewarding.
(NFL)
Average player salary £2,688,002
Coach salary £15,811,780
Difference between coach and players £13,123,778
Andy Reid is the highest-paid coach in the NFL, having signed a five-year deal worth £79,058,900 with the Chiefs. The 66-year-old earns over £3 million more than the team’s three most-paid players: Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, and Jawaan Taylor. Having won three Super Bowl titles conservatively within the last five years, Andy Reid’s paycheck reflects his football coaching genius. He is closely followed by Denver Broncos’ Sean Payton, who earns £14,243,418.
(Football)
Average player salary £10,400,000
Coach salary £20,700,000
Difference between coach and players £10,300,000
Pep Guardiola is one of the most successful football managers. He receives the highest paycheck in the Premier League with a staggering weekly wage of £1,659,588. The Catalan top football manager led “The Citizens” to their first Champions League title during the 2022-23 season. Guardiola makes over £10 million more than the average player at Manchester City. The six-time Premier League winner is regarded as one of the finest club managers ever. His time with the “Sky Blues” has been extended to 2027 with an annual salary of over £20 million.
(Football)
Average player salary £8,197,428
Coach salary £15,337,025
Difference between coach and players £7,139,597
Arsenal’s head coach former City assistant manager, Mikel Arteta has prolonged his stay with the Gunners until 2027. Arteta signed a three-year deal which saw his annual paycheck soar to over £15 million. Being among the top soccer sports managers in Europe, Mikel has returned Arsenal to its top performance. The Gunners won the 2019/20 FA Cup. In the 2023/24 season, the club finished second on the Premier League table while securing its most wins in a league campaign. Mikel Arteta earns over £777,025 more than Arsenal’s top-paid player, Kai Havertz, who earns £14,560,000 annually.
(Football)
Average player salary £9,481,699
Coach salary £8,284,850
Difference between coach and players £6,018,301
Since joining Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo has significantly boosted the club’s fan engagement and increased the popularity of the Saudi Pro League. The Portuguese striker earns £166.5 million, making him the highest-paid player in the world. Ronaldo earns over £158.3 million more than Stephano Pioli, the club’s head coach. Other top players at Al Nassr, including Sadio Mané, Marcelo Brozovic, and Aymeric Laporte earn more money than the coach.
(NBA)
Average player salary £7,421,782
Coach salary £6,338,120
Difference between coach and players £1,083,662
In the LA Lakers basketball team, most players earn more in terms of annual salaries than the head coach. JJ Redick was appointed on June 20, 2024, to take over the management of the Lakers, aiming to add more championship glories to their tally. Redick’s four-year deal brings him a sum of £25.3 million, which is scarcely half of what Lebro James makes in a single year, at £38,5 million.
(Football)
Average player salary £7,893,551
Coach salary £7,465,050
Difference between coach and players £4,994,291
Vincent Kompany earns a little under £7.5 million, which is dwarfed, compared to the club’s best player salaries per year. Prominent players like Jamal Musiala, Joshua Kimmich, Manuel Neuer, and Harry Kane, all earn double figures worth the manager’s annual wage.
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(Atletico Madrid) - Football (Soccer)
Annual salary £25,443,152 / $32,191,693
Diego Simeone is both the longest-serving and highest-paid football manager in La Liga. The 54-year-old Argentine has spent over a decade with Athletico Madrid and will retain his top management position until 2027. Simeone earns over 25 million pounds, which is currently the combined salary of Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho, and Jorge Jesus. Diego Simeone has won two La Liga titles, two Europa Leagues, a Copa Del Rey, and two Champions League titles in his career.
(Al Nassr) – Football (Soccer)
Annual salary £225,381,963 / $285,035,648
Christiano Ronaldo has been described as the most popular athlete on the planet by Forbes, but he also is the richest sportsman in the world. The 40-year-old has received a myriad of distinguished trophies. Some of his awards include three-time Best FIFA Men’s Player, five-time Ballon d’Or winner, 13-time Footballer of the Year, and four-time Golden Boot winner. Being the highest-paid football player in the world, Ronaldo’s has significantly increased since he joined the Saudi Pro giants Al Nassr. He is expected to play for the club until June 2026.
Average Player Salary £2,212,588
Average Coach Wage £4,741,883
In terms of the average wage per player, American football is ranked at the top, with each NFL player taking home an average of over £2.2 million per year. Football gives the best average wage to its managers with an average of over £8 million per year, almost double the closest competitor, in fact most of the highest-paid managers all coming from football.
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The data for most of the players salaries was all collected from Spotrac records, these include players from the English Premier League, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, while player wage data from other European football leagues and all manager/coach data were sourced from multiple sources which can be viewed here.
