City lead the way in Europe’s wage spend 🇪🇺, check out the top 20 | OneFootball

Although clubs do not officially disclose their payrolls, Uefa has revealed an estimate of how much European teams spent on their squads in the 2024/25 season.

Based on the entity’s annual financial report, OneFootball analyzed the top 20 clubs with the highest salary expenditures during the period.

English Dominance 🇬🇧

As expected, the richest league on the planet, the Premier League, dominates the list, with nine of the 20 clubs that spent the most millions on their squads.

The leader of the ranking is Manchester City, with a payroll estimated at €557 million – roughly R$3.4 billion.

According to reports from the European press, Norwegian Erling Haaland is the highest-paid player on the team, with a contract that would earn him £525,000 per week, about R$3.63 million every seven days. Is that good enough for you? 😅

Right behind is Barcelona (€551 million), which, despite its well-known financial difficulties in registering players, surpasses Paris Saint-Germain (also with €551 million) and takes second place in Uefa’s ranking.

Real Madrid (€514 million) and Liverpool (€509 million) complete the top five and are the only other teams to surpass the half-billion-euro mark in salaries.

Highlights from Other Leagues

Check out the full ranking of the 20 clubs with the highest salary expenditures in the 2024/25 season:

1. Manchester City – €557 million (R$3.37 billion)

2. Barcelona – €551 million (R$3.34 billion)

3. PSG – €551 million (R$3.34 billion)

4. Real Madrid – €514 million (R$3.11 billion)

5. Liverpool – €509 million (R$3.08 billion)

6. Chelsea – €445 million (R$2.69 billion)

7. Bayern Munich – €443 million (R$2.68 billion)

8. Manchester United – €416 million (R$2.52 billion)

9. Arsenal – €413 million (R$2.50 billion)

10. Tottenham – €318 million (R$1.92 billion)

11. Aston Villa – €309 million (R$1.87 billion)

12. Newcastle United – €289 million (R$1.75 billion)

13. Atlético de Madrid – €280 million (R$1.69 billion)

14. Borussia Dortmund – €268 million (R$1.62 billion)

15. Inter Milan – €260 million (R$1.57 billion)

16. Juventus – €245 million (R$1.48 billion)

17. Bayer Leverkusen – €209 million (R$1.26 billion)

18. RB Leipzig – €202 million (R$1.22 billion)

19. Nottingham Forest – €192 million (R$1.16 billion)

20. Milan – €189 million (R$1.14 billion)

Which player earns the most?

If you were surprised by Erling Haaland’s supposed salary and would like to know which player is the highest-paid in the world, here you go!

Cristiano Ronaldo is, by far, the highest-paid athlete in world football today, according to outlets specializing in estimating fortunes.

Although these figures are not public, Forbes, for example, indicates that the Portuguese star earns an impressive US$280 million per year, about R$1.4 billion at the current exchange rate.

Of this income, it is estimated that US$230 million comes from his salary and field bonuses in Saudi Arabia, while US$50 million comes from advertising contracts and his own brands.

After renewing with Al-Nassr until 2027, Cristiano Ronaldo kept perks that go far beyond money.

His contract includes million-dollar bonuses for achievements, use of a private jet, dozens of staff at his disposal, and even the right to a stake in the club.

Historic rival of CR7 on the field, Messi occupies second place in the global ranking, earning about US$130 million per year, according to Forbes.

The base salary he officially receives from Inter Miami in the league (MLS) is US$20.45 million per year.

Messi’s real profit comes from the business model he demanded to move to the United States.

The Argentine star earns big through commercial deals, receiving, for example, a percentage of the league’s Apple TV broadcast package subscriptions and sales tied to Adidas.

And what about Neymar?

When he moved to Saudi Arabia, Neymar signed a contract that guaranteed him about €150 million per year (over R$800 million), a figure about six times what he earned at PSG, according to reports from the European press.

The package was not limited to just money in the bank.

The Brazilian star had a private jet at his disposal, a mansion with a full staff, €80,000 bonuses for each team victory, and up to €500,000 for each post on his social media promoting the country, according to Saudi and European press reports.

After dealing with injuries and playing only seven official matches for the Saudi club, he and Al-Hilal agreed to terminate the contract at the beginning of 2025.

Neymar gave up the Arab millions and returned to Santos, his boyhood club, to try to recover physically and gain momentum in the race for a spot on the Brazilian National Team for the 2026 World Cup.

Today, his compensation is tied to marketing actions in Brazilian football, which involve much smaller amounts, but still millions by national standards.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 DARREN STAPLES - AFP or licensors