The top 10 highest paid soccer coaches in the world today earn nearly £150m per year combined between them, with the top earner accounting for over £25m of that!
Indeed, their wages are higher than some of the best footballers in the world, showing just how important their job is in getting their players to perform to the best of their abilities on the pitch. There are some top managers currently out of work as well, who would be expected to earn close to the salaries being quoted if they were in a job.
Nonetheless, here are the top 10 reportedly highest paid soccer coaches in the world at the moment…
Highest paid soccer coaches in the world: The top 10
| Manager | Club | Money earned per year |
|---|---|---|
| Diego Simeone |
Atletico Madrid |
£25.9m |
| Simone Inzaghi |
Al Hilal |
£21.8m |
| Pep Guardiola |
Manchester City |
£20.7m |
| Mikel Arteta |
Arsenal |
£15.6m |
| David Moyes |
Everton |
£12.5m |
| Jorge Jesus |
Al Nassr |
£10.4m |
| Luis Enrique |
PSG |
£9.6m |
| Matthias Jaissle |
Al Ahli |
£9.6m |
| Carlo Ancelotti |
Brazil |
£8.4m |
| Unai Emery |
Aston Villa |
£8.3m |
10. Unai Emery (Aston Villa) – £8.3m
Kicking off the top 10 list is Unai Emery at Aston Villa. While the Spaniard is yet to bring a major trophy to Villa Park, he helped them return to the promise land of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) in the 2024/25 campaign.
Despite a stuttering start to the 2025–26 campaign, Aston Villa have climbed above Chelsea and Liverpool in the table, and are now among the favourites to secure Champions League qualification next season.
Even if Villa fall short, Unai Emery’s achievements should not be overlooked, having won the UEFA Europa League four times with Sevilla and Villarreal.
Emery also won seven major trophies at PSG, including the Ligue 1 title in 2017/18. It should also be noted though that the current Al Ittihad head coach Laurent Blanc reportedly earns the same salary as him in £8.3m per year.
9. Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil) – £8.4m
It is certainly not a surprise to see Carlo Ancelotti make the list, given that he managed arguably the biggest club in world football in Real Madrid. The Italian guided Los Blancos to the La Liga and UCL title in the 2023/24 season, and has now won the latter five times as a head coach, three times with Madrid and twice with AC Milan.
Ancelotti has also won league titles in England with Chelsea, in France with PSG and in Germany with Bayern Munich, making him one of the most successful and well-respected managers of all time. He is now left Madrid to coach the Brazil national team ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
8. Matthias Jaissle (Al Ahli) – £9.6m
The second Saudi Pro League head coach is Matthias Jaissle, who currently manages Al Ahli. He is highly regarded in his native Germany, and managed Austrian heavyweights RB Salzburg before taking the plunge into Saudi football.
The German boss guided Al Ahli to a fifth-placed finish in the Saudi Pro League, and are third in the league this term, two points behind Al-Hilal.
7. Luis Enrique (PSG) – £9.6m
Luis Enrique earns the same salary per year as Jaissle as head coach of PSG. His new-look squad won an unprecedented treble in the 2024/25 campaign, having previously won a European treble with Barcelona.
Enrique masterminded a comeback from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Tottenham late on in the UEFA Super Cup after normal time, and subsequently won the penalty shootout to clinch yet another piece of silverware with the Parisians. Nonetheless, they will no doubt be favourites to retain their Ligue 1 crown once again, and should also be in the mix in the latter stages of the UCL once more come the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
6. Jorge Jesus (Al Nassr) – £10.4m
Jorge Jesus was appointed as the new head coach of Al Nassr before the start of the 2025/26 season. The veteran won a treble with fellow Saudi Pro League rivals Al Hilal in the 2023/24 campaign, and has won a number of other major trophies during his time managing in both Portugal and Brazil.
A serial winner with Benfica, the 71-year-old Jorge Jesus is on course to secure another league title, with Al Nassr sitting top of the Saudi Pro League table on 67 points, three ahead of Al-Hilal.
5. David Moyes (Everton) – £12.5m
Perhaps it is a surprise to see an Everton manager in the top 10, but David Moyes is there after taking on a big salary to try and help them stay in the Premier League. The appointment has seemingly worked, with the Scotsman producing a number of hard-fought wins that helped them steer clear of the dreaded relegation zone.
Given the salary he is on, the pressure is on Moyes to lead the club to bigger and better things this season. In recent seasons, Everton have narrowly avoided relegation, but David Moyes has steadied the ship, and they remain in contention for a European spot next season.
Everton are just three points behind Liverpool with seven games to play, giving Moyes the chance to underline why he deserves to be among the highest-paid managers in the game.
4. Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) – £15.6m
Mikel Arteta earned himself a bumper new contract with the work that he has done to transform Arsenal back into genuine title contenders. The Gunners have come close in the last three Premier League seasons, having been runners-up for a third successive campaign, this time to Arne Slot's formidable Liverpool side.
While the quadruple dream is over after Arsenal lost to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final, the north London club remain firmly in control of their Premier League destiny. Arteta could etch his name into the club’s history if he guides them to a historic treble.
3. Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) – £20.7m
Despite Manchester City's downfall in the 2024/25 campaign, Pep Guardiola comes in second. He guided them to an unprecedented treble in the 2022/23 season, before winning the Premier League title for an unmatched fourth time in a row a year later.
The Spaniard has also won the UCL twice with Barcelona, and numerous league titles with both them and Bayern Munich. Guardiola revolutionised football with his modern tactics of using ball-playing goalkeepers and inverted full-backs among others, and when he retires, he will perhaps go down as the greatest manager to have ever lived.
2. Simone Inzaghi (Al Hilal) – £21.8m
Simone Inzaghi has left his role at Inter Milan to become the head coach of Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal from next season. He guided Inter to their second UCL final in three seasons in the 2024/25 campaign, and came runners-up to Napoli in the Serie A title race.
If we're being brutally honest, if Inzaghi wasn't on this list, then his move to Al Hilal wouldn't have made any sense. Once he has made his fortune, it would be good to see him back in Europe as he clearly has bags of talent as a coach.
1. Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid) – £25.9m
Diego Simeone is regarded as an absolute legend at Atletico Madrid, and so it is not a surprise to see him top this list as the highest-paid soccer coach in the world today. Indeed, he earns a whopping £25.9m a year in Madrid, more than some of the managers on this list combined!
The Argentine has won plenty of domestic silverware at Atletico, but the one trophy that still eludes him is the UCL, despite coming close in multiple finals. Nonetheless, he has still won the UEL twice, and also prized two La Liga titles away from both Barcelona and city rivals Real.
