‘There is a gap that is getting bigger and bigger’ – Ligue 1’s wealth divide laid bare in latest report | OneFootball

In L’Équipe’s salary special, released on Thursday, the significant wealth disparities in Ligue 1 were laid bare. 

Unsurprisingly, it is Paris Saint-Germain who dominate the list of highest earners. The first non-PSG player to feature in the list of highest earners is Olympique de Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who is joint 13th, with a monthly salary of €500,000. 16 of the top 20 highest earners in France’s top flight play for Les Parisiens. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé is the highest earner on €1.5m per month.

It means that PSG’s average wage sits at €650,000, a small increase on last season’s average, but more than double OM’s average wage (€300,000). That is nonetheless a record figure for Les Phocéens. And then compare that to SCO Angers, who have the smallest budget in Ligue 1, with an average wage of just €18,000. PSG’s average wage is 36x higher. 

The divide is once again clear when looking at managers’ wages in Ligue 1. PSG manager Luis Enrique is comfortably the highest earner (€1m). Olympique Lyonnais’ Paulo Fonseca is in second with a monthly wage of €350,000. FC Metz’s Benoit Tavenot is the lowest earner on €25,000.

Vincent Chaudel, the founder of the Sport Business Observatory, told L’Équipe: “There is a gap that is getting bigger and bigger. You have the clubs that play in Europe and then the others.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle