Chelsea, Barcelona, Man United lead clubs with highest wage bills
Following the arrival of Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, the French side has become the sports club with the highest wage bill in the world.
As of now, PSG has up to 16 players earning six-digit figures in salaries, which translates into over €100, 000 per week.
No team the world over, from football, baseball or NFL, can get near to the French side’s wage bill following the Argentine’s arrival.
Messi is rumoured to be on about £1m-a-week at PSG, already making him the highest earning footballer in the world, and the 16th player at the French club on a six-figure weekly salary.
Interestingly, Manchester City are not listed among top high wage paying clubs despite having up to ten players on six-figure weekly wage bill.
With the arrival of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa, last week, and the expected arrival of Harry Kane from Tottenham, the pair are expected to pocket up £700, 000 between them per week.
The same situation at Arsenal where up to six players earning over €100, 000 per week with club captain Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang being the highest earner on £350, 000 per week.
Meanwhile current English Premier League (EPL) high earners are: Romelu Lukaku – £450,000-per-week (including bonuses); Kevin de Bruyne – £385,000-per-week; Jack Grealish – £380,000-per-week (including bonuses); David De Gea – £375,000-per-week; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – £350,000-per-week; Raheem Sterling – £300,000-per-week; Paul Pogba – £270,000-per-week; Anthony Martial – £250,000-per-week.
Others are: Mo Salah – £220,00-per-week; Jack Grealish – £200,000-per-week; Ben Chilwell – £190,000-per-week; and Virgil van Dijk – £180,000-per-week.
A rundown of other clubs with humongous salaries are as follows:
10. Cleveland Browns – £158m
The name Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the few in American football to have transcended the sport on a global scale.
As the top earner on £10.5million-a-year, the superstar wide receiver is aiming to deliver a first Super Bowl to Cleveland in 2021 after a play-off drought was ended last season.
9. Chelsea – £159m
This is something of a temporary position for the Blues, given the figure was calculated before the signing of Romelu Lukaku, who is said to be weekly wage of £250,000 that would make the Belgian their top earner but still keep Chelsea in second place for Premier League spending.
8. Dallas Cowboys – £159m
As the highest-paying NFL team, it is little surprise that the Dallas Cowboys are concerned about coming up against the league’s salary cap rules.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper is the top earner after signing a five-year, £72m contract last year but their latest Super Bowl crown came in 1995.
7. Bayern Munich – £166m
Dominating German football comes at a cost for the club formerly dubbed ‘FC Hollywood’.
As well as big-money signings Leroy Sane and Lucas Hernandez, veterans Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer take home north of £200,000-a-week.
6. Juventus – £184m
Cristiano Ronaldo is the standout earner at Juventus, who have experienced a quiet summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ronaldo’s reported annual pay of £28m adds a large chunk to the Italians’ fourth-highest wage bill in football.
5. Manchester United – £193m
The Red Devils’ hunt for a first Premier League title since 2013 has led them to forking out some hefty fees in transfers and wages.
David De Gea, now not even the guaranteed first-choice goalkeeper, is the top earner at £375,000-a-week with Jadon Sancho said to be on £350,000-a-week after arriving from Borussia Dortmund.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers – £193m
The 2020 MLB champions regularly boast the highest average attendances and show no sign of letting up in their quest for World Series rings.
A star-studded pitching line-up featuring Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, David Price, Kenley Jansen, and the suspended Trevor Bauer bulk up the biggest salary in US sport – yet they sit only second in the NL West this year.
3. Barcelona – £195m
Messi’s exit at the end of his mammoth contract was blamed on La Liga salary cap rules.
And with £195m being handed out to flops such as Philippe Coutinho and Miralem Pjanic this year, even the club legend’s departure may not be enough for them to avoid a punishment in the coming months.
2. Real Madrid – £212m
Sergio Ramos’ move to PSG may have shaved off a hefty chunk of the Spanish giants’ wage bill, but it still stands head and shoulders above most of their rivals.
Gareth Bale, on £650,000-a-week, leads the way ahead of Eden Hazard’s £400,000-a-week at the Bernabeu.
1. Paris Saint-Germain – £256m
PSG confidently claim they are within Uefa’s Financial Fair Play guidelines as they welcome Messi, Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma to their expensively-assembled team for the new campaign.
Now all Les Parisiens need to do, after finishing second in Ligue 1 last year and losing in the Champions League semi-finals, is win a bucket load of trophies.
