The 10 richest football managers in 2026 ranked by net worth: Pep Guardiola only third… | OneFootball

Managers in the Premier League, La Liga and Liga Portugal are among the richest head coaches based on their net worth in 2026.

When it comes to the richest football managers, data isn’t widely available, but there have been multiple reports on the richest coaches and their estimated net worth.

Based on the latest earnings of each manager, these are the 10 richest football managers in 2026 based on their estimated net worth.

1. Wayne Rooney – £170million

Rooney has been out of work since being sacked by Plymouth Argyle in December 2024, but he certainly isn’t short of cash.

Unsurprisingly, he made the majority of his wealth during his playing days for Manchester United, where he was earning around £300,000 per week during his prime.

His managerial career hasn’t quite gone to plan so far and it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll take up another head coach role. He seems happy enough as a pundit.

However, based on his estimated net worth, he’s technically the richest football manager in the world.

2. Diego Simeone – £102million

The Atletico Madrid coach is currently the highest-paid manager in world football, taking home a whopping £25.9million per year.

He’s been at Atletico Madrid since 2011 and his current contract runs until the summer of 2027.

=3. Jose Mourinho – £100million

Mourinho’s estimated net worth is £100million, placing him third on this list.

Amazingly, he’s estimated to have earned around £84million just in compensation money from being sacked from various jobs throughout his career.

His biggest payout came in 2007 when he first left Chelsea and received a reported payout of £17million.

=3. Pep Guardiola – £100million

Estimates around Guardiola’s net worth range from £50-£100million. For the purposes of this article, we’ve given him the benefit of the doubt and have gone with the higher figure.

As things stand, he’s the third-highest-paid manager in world football, only behind Simeone at Atletico Madrid and Simone Inzaghi at Al-Hilal.

Reports have hinted that he could leave Manchester City at the end of the season, although Guardiola is yet to come to a final decision.

5. Zinedine Zidane – £91.6million

Zidane has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in 2021.

However, given he’s sitting on an estimated net worth of over £90million, he doesn’t seem to be in any rush to get back into the dug-out.

6. Steven Gerrard – £66.9million

Gerrard made a large bulk of his net worth during his playing career, but has also made a decent amount from his short managerial career.

He was particularly well paid while working in Saudi Arabia, where he was said to be earning £15million per year at Al-Ettifaq.

Since being dismissed in January last year, he’s yet to throw himself back into management, but has been linked with several jobs.

7. Sir Alex Ferguson – £53.6million

Having won a record 49 trophies, Ferguson is the most decorated manager on this list.

Along with being well paid during his time at Old Trafford, the Scotsman has various other business interests which have grown his net worth.

8. Carlo Ancelotti – £41million

Now the manager of the Brazil national team, Ancelotti’s net worth sits at an estimated £41million.

He landed his first managerial job in 1995 and 31 years later is still going strong today at the age of 66. Talk about longevity.

Earning €9.5million per year with Brazil, he’s currently the highest-paid international manager, ahead of Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino.

9. Jurgen Klopp – £40million

Klopp is currently working as the Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull and will no doubt be earning a handsome amount from that gig.

While at Liverpool, Klopp was one of the highest-paid managers in the world, earning around £18.5million per year at his peak.

10. Arsene Wenger – £39million

The former Arsenal manager still holds on to his spot in the top 10, although come 2027, several high-profile bosses could overtake him.

Wenger spent 22 years with Arsenal and was one of the highest-paid managers in world football by the time he eventually left.

Since 2019, he’s worked as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development and also does a bit of punditry every now and again.