Who is the highest-paid manager in the world? Top 10 biggest soccer coach salaries as Pep Guardiola signs new Man City deal | Sporting News

Football managers may be in a highly stressful environment, but they are certainly rewarded well for their services.

Even when they’re sacked, they still earn enormous amounts. Erik ten Hag is reported to have received a payout of around £16 million ($19.4 million) after being dismissed by Manchester United in November, while Jose Mourinho has totalled more than £97m ($122m) for all the times he has been fired during his managerial career.

One manager who is not about to change clubs in a hurry is Pep Guardiola, whose new Manchester City contract is expected to be announced on November 21. The Catalan could see an increase on his salary that would place him very close to the top of the list of the world’s best-paid soccer coaches.

Below, The Sporting News presents a run-down of the top 10 best-paid active managers in the world and what they earn a year, according to 2022 data from sportkez.com, official sources, and the most widely cited figures.

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Who is the highest-paid manager in the world?

As of November 2024, Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone is believed to be the world’s best-paid manager on a salary of £30 million ($37.8m), ahead of Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola — at least per the Catalan’s previous terms.

Third on this list is Steven Gerrard, who earns a huge sum as head coach of Saudi Arabian outfit Al Ettifaq. He is one place above Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, and three ahead of Inter Milan’s Simone Inzaghi.

The rest of this list comprises Premier League head coaches, including new Manchester United hire Ruben Amorim.

World’s best-paid managers: The top 5

5. Mikel Arteta: £9.5 million / $12 million

After two seasons in which Arsenal ran Man City close in the Premier League title race, Mikel Arteta was rewarded with a new deal in September 2024 that moved him to fifth in this list. The Spaniard has done excellent work since taking the Gunners job in 2019, but an inconsistent start to the 2024/25 season — combined with those title near-misses — has left at least some fans a little short on patience.

4. Carlo Ancelotti: £9.6 million / $12.1 million

Carlo Ancelotti has won the lot over the course of his managerial career and in 2022 became the first manager to win all five major European Leagues as Real Madrid triumphed in La Liga. Los Blancos then beat Liverpool in the Champions League final, making Ancelotti the first coach to win the competition four times. That became five in 2024, as Madrid again clinched a league and Champions League double, defeating Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.

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3. Steven Gerrard: £15.2 million / $19.2 million

Gerrard reportedly became the best-paid coach in the lucrative Saudi Pro League when he took charge of Al Ettifaq in July 2023. Things have not gone swimmingly for the former Liverpool captain, though: after a sixth-place finish in 2023/24, the team from Dammam won just three of their opening 10 matches of the 2024/25 season.

2. Pep Guardiola: £20 million / $25.3 million

Widely recognised as the best manager in the world, former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has revolutionised Manchester City since taking over in 2016, winning 18 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the treble of league, Champions League and FA Cup in 2022/23. There was some anticipation that this could be his last season at the Etihad Stadium, but he has instead committed to a new deal that will see him reach a full decade at the club.

1. Diego Simeone: £30 million / $37.8 million

The highest-earning manager in the world, and by some distance too, is Simeone. Having been at the club for 13 years, he is venerated by Atletico Madrid fans, winning eight trophies, including two La Liga titles, and reaching two UEFA Champions League finals.