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 annual financial report from the organization, OneFootball analyzed the top 20 clubs with the highest salary expenditures during this period.
English dominance
As expected, the richest league on the planet, the Premier League, dominates the list, with nine clubs among the 20 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.
Real Madrid (€514 million) and Liverpool (€509 million) complete the top 5 and are the only other teams to surpass the half-billion-euro mark in salaries.
Highlights from other leagues
- Bundesliga: Bayern Munich is the highest-ranked German club, occupying 7th place overall with a payroll of €443 million (Harry Kane is the team's top earner).
- Italian Serie A: Inter Milan leads spending in Italy, ranking 15th overall (€260 million), followed by rival Juventus (16th place, with €245 million).
- Outside the "Top 5" leagues: Galatasaray is the team with the highest payroll outside the five main European leagues, occupying 25th place (outside the top 20), with spending of €178 million.
Check out the complete 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?
Uefa's survey refers only to the European continent, but reports indicate that Cristiano Ronaldo is, by far, the highest-paid footballer in the world today.
Although this data is not public, Forbes indicates that the Portuguese star earns an impressive US$280 million per year, about R$1.4 billion at the current exchange rate.
Of these earnings, it is estimated that US$230 million comes from his salary and on-field bonuses in Saudi Arabia, while US$50 million comes from his advertising contracts and personal brands.
After renewing with Al-Nassr until 2027, Cristiano Ronaldo retained 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.
CR7's historic rival on the pitch, 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 from commercial deals, receiving, for example, a percentage of the league's Apple TV broadcast package subscriptions and sales linked 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 bonus for each team victory, and up to €500,000 for each post on his social networks promoting the country, according to reports from the Saudi and European press.
After struggling 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 remuneration is tied to marketing actions in Brazilian football, which involve much smaller amounts, but still millions by national standards.
- Drop in Forbes ranking: In October 2025, Forbes confirmed that Neymar dropped out of the top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world.
- Current earnings for the season: The magazine estimates that he will receive "only" US$38 million (about R$204 million) this season.
- Most comes from off the field: The majority of this amount does not come from salary, but from commercial deals and business outside the pitch.
- Base salary at Santos: The star's fixed monthly earnings are around R$4.5 million at the São Paulo club.
- Marketing and image package: When salary and image and marketing rights payments are added, Neymar's total cost to Santos reaches an impressive R$21 million per month.
- Sponsorship deals: The club signed an agreement where 75% of new sponsorship revenue goes to NR Sports, the player's father's company.
- Contract perks: Besides the money, the contract guarantees luxury privileges, such as three boxes at Vila Belmiro, private flights, and five-star hotel stays for his company's staff.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
