Airtime and website pages are often devoted to player salaries. Less focus is placed on the wages of managers, aside from when clubs have to pay out vast sums after a firing.
The best managers are at least as significant as the top players when it comes to deciding the biggest football betting markets, however.
Arne Slot - £6.8 million
The Liverpool manager will earn almost £10 million a year less than Jurgen Klopp but that could change in the coming years if he is a success at Anfield.
Slot has earned himself a huge pay increase compared to his salary at Feyenoord though and he sneaks into this list of the highest earning football managers.
Unai Emery - £8.3 million
Taking Aston Villa from relegation battlers to a Champions League team, it's only right Unai Emery is one of the highest-paid managers on the planet.
Emery signed a five-year contract extension at Villa Park in 2024, seeing a considerable increase in his salary.
Jose Mourinho - £9.2 million
When he's been employed, Jose Mourinho has been a stalwart on this list for two decades. A league winner in Portugal, England, Spain, and Italy, the self-acclaimed 'Special One' remains one of the most well-known managers in the world.
Currently plying his trade at Fenerbahce after winning the Conference League with Roma, Mourinho is consistently linked with a return to the Premier League. The days of being named the World's Best Club Coach might be behind him, but Mourinho will continue to accumulate riches.
Matthias Jaissle - £9.6 million
The least famous manager on this list, Matthias Jaissle's career highlight was a two-year stint with Red Bull Salzburg before joining Ah-Ahli in 2023.
Immediately leading the Saudi Arabian club to a third placed finish, Jaissle guided them to their first ever continental trophy in just his second season in charge.
Luis Enrique - £9.6 million
Is Luis Enrique the best value manager in the world right now? Since taking over at PSG in 2023, the Spaniard has won a double and a treble, including the club's first ever Champions League triumph over Inter in 2025.
Enrique collected all the managerial awards in 2015. He's set to add to that trophy cabinet 10 years later.
David Moyes - £12.5 million
Returning to Everton after spells at Manchester United, Real Sociedad, Sunderland, and West Ham, David Moyes immediately became one of the highest-paid managers in world football.
Moyes guided the Toffees to safety in his first season in charge. It was fitting he was leading the club for their final match at Goodison Park.
Stefano Pioli - £15.5 million
Winner of Serie A with Milan in 2022, Stefano Pioli swapped the glamour of the Italian city for the riches of the Saudi Pro League when he took over at Al-Nassr.
Pioli is renowned for his tactical flexibility and his development of young players throughout his career. It will be interesting to see how long he sticks in Saudi Arabia given the inevitable interest from European clubs.
Mikel Arteta - £15.6 million
Tasked with transforming Arsenal from top four candidates to Premier League champions, Arteta has been a huge hit at the Emirates Stadium since arriving at the helm and he has now led the Gunners to back-to-back second place finishes.
That is an achievement in itself when you remember Arsenal are facing one of football's greatest ever powerhouses in Manchester City - who became the team to win the most Premier League titles in a row.
Arteta is likeable and he has the support of the Arsenal fans. The Spaniard has done a fantastic job over the past couple of years and another big campaign awaits in 2025/26.
Pep Guardiola - £20.7 million
Pep Guardiola is unquestionably among the greatest football managers ever. The Spaniard also manages one of the richest clubs in the world, so it’s no surprise his salary is so high.
Guardiola took City to the treble in 2022-23. The Spaniard has already managed more Manchester City matches than he did for Barcelona B, Barcelona and Bayern Munich combined.
What initially looked to be a three- or four-year project at the Etihad Stadium has extended into something more significant. Why would Guardiola stop when his team are so dominant?
Simone Inzaghi - £21.9 million
After winning Serie A with Inter in 2023-24 and leading the Italian giants to the Champions League final in 2023 and 2025, Simone Inzaghi left the San Siro to join Al Hilal in June 2025.
Inzaghi, who had a signing bonus in the region of £4 million, received a two-year contract worth just shy of £22 million per season. The deal made him the second-highest paid manager in world football.
Diego Simeone - £25.9 million
There have been murmurs that Diego Simeone could leave Atletico Madrid for a few years. He is the most successful and longest-serving manager in club history, having won two La Liga titles and managed over 600 fixtures.
Atleti have dropped off title-contending pace over the last few seasons. Even so, whichever manager succeeds Simeone at the Wanda Metropolitano has an almost impossible task.
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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
