Football coaching is a thankless job. It comes with a lot of stress, but it often doesn't pay much back. Unless the head coach voluntarily retires or resigns, they will be fired if the results are not satisfactory. But if they are capable enough to manage a top team, they will be paid very well.
The highest-paid head coach in world football
1. Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid)
Annual salary: £30 million
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is the highest-paid manager in the world, which should come as a shock to many. Diego Simeone has twice successfully beaten Barcelona and Real Madrid to win La Liga. Simeone has struggled in recent years, with Atletico far behind current leaders Real Madrid in La Liga this season.
2. Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Annual salary: £20 million
After winning the treble, many believe Pep Guardiola will be the highest-paid manager in the world. While he may be the highest-paid manager in England, he can only settle for second place on this list. However, Pep Guardiola has won four league titles in the last five seasons, so it's not hard to see why he has such a good salary.
3. Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Annual salary: £16 million
The current manager of the third highest-paid team in world football is Jurgen Klopp, who is about to leave Liverpool. Liverpool's stinginess is well known, but they made an exception for Jurgen Klopp. The German coach certainly deserves his salary and has brought great success to Anfield since taking charge in October 2015, including a maiden Premier League title.
4. Gerard (Dammam collaboration)
Annual salary: £15.2 million
With Steven Gerrard's Dammam Collaboration on a winless run before signing a contract extension at the start of 2024, the pressure on the Liverpool legend is starting to mount. Because of this, Gerrard's contract extension and salary increase shocked the football world.
5. Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus)
Annual salary: £11.3 million
Despite Juventus' financial difficulties, the Bianconeri continue to pay Massimiliano Allegri a huge annual salary, placing him among the top five highest-paid managers in 2024. Although Allegri had a brilliant record in his first spell in charge of Juventus, he did not achieve such a fruitful result in his second spell in charge of Juventus.
6. Thomas Tuchel (Bayern Munich)
Annual salary: £10.6 million
Following Nagelsmann's departure at the start of 2023, Bayern's appointment of Thomas Tuchel as head coach was a shock. The German boss was unexpectedly sacked by Chelsea in 2022 and is now set to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the 2023/24 season due to poor results.
7. Mauricio Pochettino (Chelsea)
Annual salary: £10.4 million
Chelsea are not afraid to throw money at Todd Boehly, with the Blues boss offering Pochettino an annual salary of £10.4 million when he appointed him as head coach in 2023.
8. Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)
Annual salary: £9.6 million
The most surprising thing about Carlo Ancelotti's salary is arguably that his ranking is not as high as he thought. Since arriving at the Bernabeu in 2021, Carlo Ancelotti has been in excellent form and has already led Real Madrid to a Champions League and La Liga title.
9. Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)
Annual salary: £9 million
Manchester United manager is always one of the most lucrative positions in world football, so it's no surprise to see Erik ten Hag among the highest-paid managers.
10. Inzaghi Jr. (Inter Milan)
Annual salary: £8.8 million
After a few years of disappointment, Inter Milan are back at the top of Italian and European football, and Inzaghi Jr. is a big reason for that. Since arriving at Inter Milan in 2021, Inzaghi has established himself as an authority in the team, leading Inter Milan to multiple domestic cup trophies and reaching the Champions League final in 2022-23.
Inzaghi Jr.'s contract with Inter Milan expires in 2025 and there's no reason why he won't get a contract extension, especially if he leads the team to league title titles this season. If he does get a new contract, it will most likely lead to a substantial raise.
11. Arteta (Arsenal)
Annual salary: £8.3 million
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta's annual salary is only £500,000 less than Inzaghi's, and unfortunately he has not made it into the top 10. He cleared the squad of stubborn ailments and put the Gunners back into Premier League title-winning contention. In 2022-23, Arsenal almost ended their title drought and are still in contention for the title this season.