A-League players salary: Impressive paycheck for Wellington Phoenix star

Football is a popular sport in many countries. The amount of money a player receives is commensurate with his talent and dedication.

It is upon the players to make the right career choices to be rewarded well. Footballers who intend to switch to Australian clubs must ask the question, “How much do A-League players earn?”

Athletes with information concerning the level of remuneration in the A-League can join Australian clubs with reasonable expectations.

A-League players’ salaries are less than those offered in most European leagues. According to Professional Footballers Australia’s yearly report, the average A-League salary has been unable to keep pace with what India and South Korea offer.

The average wage for Australian players has been dealt a big blow following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The salaries of the A-League’s highest-paid players across all ages are below those of most European leagues, such as the Premier League. However, following the collective bargaining agreement secured by the PFA, there is hope that the salaries of these players will rise.

In our article, you’ll find out more about the average pay the A-League players receive and information regarding the top A-League earners right now.

A-League player salary news: Juan Mata among top earners

At one point in his career, Kosta Barbarouses supposedly earned a mind-blowing $750k per season. His days playing for Sydney are long gone but it seems that the veteran striker’s new deal with Wellington Phoenix isn’t far off from those financial standards.

Sources claim that goalscorer-in-chief Barbarouses earns about $600k per season with Wellington Phoenix and those numbers don’t include the bonuses he is getting. Seeing as he still has two years on his contract, we are convinced he will continue to be on the list of A-League’s top earners. The 34-year-old player is still among the best players in the league despite his age. He doesn’t have too many good years ahead of him and his current contract might as well be the last big paycheck he sees.

We were surprised to see Juan Mata put pen to paper on a one-year deal with Western Sydney Wanderers, but according to the latest news, Mata’s wage is well above the average pay in the A-League.

The former Manchester United superstar will earn a total of $350,000 (£178,000) during his Western Sydney Wanderers experience. Should the 36-year-old veteran enjoy his stay, perhaps the board will give him an even more impressive pay and a lengthy contract.

In other news, Douglas Costa signed a two-year partnership with A-League giants Sydney FC a couple of weeks ago. Salary details are yet to be confirmed, but it seems that the former Bayern Munich and Juventus player will be earning a little under what Mata will be getting at CommBank Stadium.

Sure, this isn’t going to be the most lucrative pay Costa has enjoyed throughout his career, but seeing as the Australian Professional Leagues slashed its budget, we believe a $300,000 pay is more than generous.

Reason for the low salaries for A-League players

A-League players’ salaries are determined through Australian wage cap policies. However, the PFA has acknowledged the need for the A-League to become more competitive compared to Asian leagues. Management can make the A-League more competitive by raising the salary cap ceilings.

This rise will raise the salaries paid to A-League players to the same level as those in other leagues. More talented players will come to the A-League, making the league more interesting to follow. The A-League will no longer be viewed as the destination for professionals who want to retire.

Moreover, there is a lot of uncertainty in the A-League as far as broadcasting is concerned. Players do not get the right and consistent coverage through the mainstream media. Many clubs cannot identify A-League players due to the league’s poor marketing. Poor marketing makes it difficult for talented players to get teams that can value their contributions.

Fewer broadcasting opportunities reflect poor revenue flow. A-League teams cannot get enough revenue to pay players’ salaries commensurate with their talents.

Such was the case with former Manchester United star Morgan Schneiderlin. Western Sydney were ambitious enough to offer him a staggering pay for his services, but the team just couldn’t keep up financially with his demands and had to let him go at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

At this moment, the A-League salary cap is set at $2.6m, which is much lower than what we have in other local competitions. However, as stated above, clubs can exceed the A-League salary cap in some cases.

For example, an unlimited salary can be offered to up to two marquee players—usually world-class players at the end of their careers who opted to join the A-League challenge.

Surely, those numbers will only grow higher. They have to if the A-League is going to stay relevant in the following seasons.

A-League highest-paid players

Currently, Scott Wootton from Central Coast Mariners tops the table for the highest earners in the A-League with an annual income of €1,17m. Other interesting names in the top earner race include former VfB Stuttgart player Alou Kuol, for whom the Mariners had to pay a solid €200k. Apparently, he penned a €1,10m deal with the 2022/23 A-League champions.

Due to the financial fair policy, you’ll rarely see two players from the same team in the A-League top salary charts. This is valid in the 2023/24 season as well, as the policy hasn’t been changed and there’s no indication that it will be changed soon.

Things have to change swiftly, as it’s unacceptable that the 2022/23 Top Goalscorer Jamie Maclaren earns a little over €350k in the 2023/24 campaign.

Some of the players on the list might leave their teams before the start of the 2024/25 season, as their contracts haven’t yet been renewed. But at the time of writing, they are still considered among the top earners in the A-League right now. What’s interesting is that 2023/24 Top Goalscorer Adam Taggart isn’t on the list for the top 10 A-League earners. Check out which players made the cut.

As you see, Scott Wootton is still the top A-League earner. He enjoyed a €1.17m pay for his services during the 2023/24 A-League campaign, with Alou Kuol of Central Coast Mariners coming in second.

The former VfB Stuttgart starlet only just recently joined the Mariners, but he is already one of the top earners on the team. The rising star is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the league, and we are sure his salary will only grow.

Melbourne Victory’s Damien Da Silva comes in third place of the top 10 A-League earners’ chart, as the Boys in Blue’s centre-back received €1.07m for his services during the 2023/24 campaign. Sadly, rumours have it that he won’t receive a contract renewal.

As mentioned earlier, Maclaren of Melbourne City is one of the top earners in the A-League. However, his annual pay is set at a humble €370k – the same pay as Ulises Davila of Macarthur. Indeed, these two deserve a more impressive compensation for their services, as they were ever-present for their managers during the 2023/24 campaign.

An interesting name to see on the list is Bruno Fornaroli’s. With a weekly pay of £4,500, Melbourne Victory’s goalscoring machine earns just a little over £240k annually. Which is not the pay you’d expect the second-best finisher in the 2023/24 A-League campaign to have. He barely made the list for the top 10 A-League earners, only narrowly beating Brandon Borrello.

The latter is receiving a €230k pay for his time at CommBank Stadium, but if he continues performing at such a high level, his salary might just receive an upgrade in 2024/25.

A-League Average Salary

The average salary in the A-League has steadily increased over the last couple of years, which is great news for all fans of Australian football. The quality of play has also improved significantly. During the long, tiresome, but exciting 2022/23 season, the average salary in the A-League was about €205,750 annually.

It may not seem like much, but because just about two seasons ago, the average income was €182,000, we can say that the A-League is on the right track to becoming one of the top competitions in the region.

Former Western Sydney Wanderers defensive midfielder Schneiderlin was the highest-paid footballer in the 2022/23 A-League campaign, with a massive annual salary of €5.2m. However, despite him leaving for a new challenge, plenty of high-paid players are still in the league. A good example is Wellington Phoenix’ Wootton, who earns a yearly paycheck of €1,17m.

As we mentioned earlier, there are exceptions. Teams can have a few players getting an annual pay higher than the salary cap. Other than Morgan Schneiderlin, a good example is Nani.

The former Manchester United winger enjoyed a massive £23,000 weekly pay during his time with Melbourne Victory, which amounted to a £1.2m annual salary. However, the Portuguese legend is one of the few exceptions we’ve seen over the last couple of years.

The salary data for the 2022/23 season indicates that A-League teams spent a little over €35m, which should be about the same amount they’ll pay in the current 2023/24 campaign. Most teams snapped up some high-profile players, such as 33-year-old left-back Adama Traore and Alou Kuol, for whom Central Coast Mariners had to pay a hefty sum.

Fans following these players’ performances throughout the season can track them on betting platforms like Bet365, where a Bet365 code Australia can be used when creating an account.

Comparison between A-League Highest-Paid Players and Salaries in Other Leagues

The essence of comparing the salaries across leagues in Asia is that the teams in this continent participate in an annual tournament. This comparison will assist A-League policymakers to harmonize the average salary with what is being paid in other leagues.

Research has confirmed that A-League players get less pay than their counterparts in other leagues within the same geographical area. This act seems to be one of the reasons why talented players leave the league for better pay in different leagues.

A good example of that is former Central Coast Mariners player Jason Cummings. His extraordinary goalscoring skills were enough to keep him in the A-League Top Goalscorer fight in the 2022/23 season until the end.

He helped his team win the A-League title and was one of the best players. However, considering the relatively poor pay for his services, he opted to open a new chapter in his professional career by joining Indian Super League’s Mohun Bagan SG, where he’s earning thrice what he used to get with the Mariners.

And how about Craig Goodwin? The Socceroos’ favourite was among the top earners in the A-League, picking up a 780k paycheck, which is considerably higher than what most players earned last season. However, he will receive approximately €2.8m with his new Saudi Pro League club.

Even the top Australian teams struggle to perform adequately in international tournaments, so increasing the pay cap in the A-League is certainly food for thought.

After all, in recent years, we have seen more high-profile players join China or Japan rather than Australia. Such was the case with Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta, who joined the J-League challenge. Vissel Kobe paid the Spanish maestro a staggering $30m per season for his services, which, of course, is an impossible sum for any A-League team.

Conclusion

Any league that works under the salary cap will always result in low salaries. A-League teams must balance their books of accounts while seeking the services of quality players. If the A-League teams raise the wage ceiling, quality players will see Australia as a destination to practice their arts.

However, if the A-League continues with the stringent measures concerning the amount paid in terms of salaries, few players will go there during their prime ages. The lack of quality players is the reason Australian teams rarely perform well in international tournaments.

Iniesta isn’t the only example we can give. Just take a look at what’s happening with the Saudi Pro League. An entire constellation of world-class players joined the Saudi Arabia project. Arguably one of the best players in history did too. Cristiano Ronaldo is receiving a mind-numbing pay with Al-Nassr, former Barcelona star Neymar is enjoying the same with Al-Ittihad, but the list goes on and on.

If the A-League is to become more attractive for football players and fans alike, policymakers must address the pay cap.

Though Australia is very accommodating, A-League policymakers should consider how much A-League players get paid compared to competitors in the continent.

A-League teams do not compete among themselves only. For instance, A-League teams feel disadvantaged when comparing their players’ quality and players from other leagues. For example, the average player’s salary for a single team in China is twice that of an Australian team.

The difference translates into the quality of players that these teams will attract. During tournaments, teams with quality players tend to outperform teams with fewer quality players. In addition to salaries being an integral part of player-manager, wagers that players earn should be commensurate with their work rate on the pitch.