All the signs so far are that Steve Evans has got moving us in the right direction. He certainly steered us away from the drop last season. And hopes are high for the upcoming 2022-3 campaign. But we can all probably accept that it isn’t likely he’s among the top earning football managers per league victory. Nope. Not when we compare him with some of the names that the SportingPedia team has to offer.
In their latest report, they reveal how much the highest-paid football managers got for every league win their sides recorded across the 2021-2 campaign. The list features the three highest-paid managers in each of Europe’s top five leagues – plus one honorable addition. It also shows how their respective teams fared come the end of the season. It’s curious to find that, only in Italy, the three highest-paid managers were beaten to the title.
There are no English representative. So, definitely no Steve Evans (yes, we know he’s Scottish). Meanwhile, you’ll see four Italians, three Argentinians, and three Germans making the list.
The highest earning football managers per league win 2021-2
Diego Simeone tops the chart for highest paid football managers across Europe. He leads the way, receiving an annual salary of 40 million euros; the second-placed Pep Guardiola pocketing nearly two times less: 22.68 million for a 12 month period. Of course, a manager’s responsibilities are much greater than a player’s. They have to lead and improve a whole group of players. The fiery Argentinian has been in charge of Rojiblancos since December 2011, when he took the reins of a mid-table side.
He transformed Atletico and the side is now among Europe’s elite; featuring in two Champions League finals and twice winning the Europa League. On the domestic front, he won La Liga at a time when Real Madrid had Bale, Benzema, and Ronaldo – while Barcelona had the famous MSN trio of Messi-Suarez-Neymar in 2014 and then again in 2021. Without a question, Diego Simeone is one of Europe’s top football managers. But how much was each of his Atletico’s 71 points and 21 victories worth in 2021-2, compared to other elite coaches in Europe?
Well, Simeone earned a jaw-dropping 1,904,762 euros per win, or €563,380 for each of those 71 accumulated points. In stark contrast, Stefano Pioli – who led Milan to their first Italian title in 11 years – recorded 26 victories in Serie A; receiving just over €134K per win. That’s 14 times less than what Simeone pocketed for per La Liga triumph.
“It is the president and executives who appoint the club’s manager after deciding in what direction their team should head. Some are looking for immediate on-field results and count only titles, while others opt for a more steady approach and sign with the candidate who offers the most stability and has a vision for the long-term,” said SportingPedia football analyst Sean Foster.
Diego Simeone
€1,904,762 per victory; €563,380 per point
Simeone took Atletico to third in La Liga’s last season. Rojiblancos collected 71 points during the course of the 2021-2 season – 15 fewer than the champions Real Madrid. It was actually one of the worst for Simeone; a team usually renowned for its mean defence conceding 43 goals – the most of the top eight teams in the Spanish top flight. Each of the those points cost Atletico a whopping 563,380 euros. In the Champions League, Atletico crashed out in the quarter finals after losing 1-0 on aggregate to Manchester City.
Antonio Conte
€812,727 per victory; €251,831 per point
After being named coach of Tottenham Hotspur at the start of November 2021, Antonio Conte has completely changed how the team plays. Spurs secured a Champions League spot; collecting 71 points in the process. That was helped by 22 wins from 38 English top flight games. Conte earned 251,831 euros for each point – or 812,727 per win. Spurs scored 69 goals and conceded 40 last term.
Pep Guardiola
€782,069 per victory; €243,871 per point
Manchester City and Guardiola won their fourth Premier League crown in five years last season. The Sky Blues triumphed after gathering 93 points; one more than Liverpool. The Spaniard once again failed to deliver the Champions League to Manchester, however. Given his record of just one victory in the elite continental tournament, there are questions as to whether he’s the right one to bring the most coveted club trophy to Etihad.
Max Allegri
€700,000 per victory; €200,000 per point
Max Allegri’s second stint at the helm of Juventus did not begin as planned. The team finished in fourth position. His task was finding a solution to the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s late transfer back to Manchester United. But Allegri failed. As a result, the Bianconeri struggled in attack; scoring just 57 goals – the second worst of the top 10 teams. When we break it down, the numbers show that the Italian received 200,000 euros for every point and 700,000 per victory.
Jurgen Klopp
€638,571 per victory; €194,348 per point
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup last season. Manchester City denied them a second English top flight trophy in recent years. The Reds recorded 92 points and 28 wins for the season. The coach pocketed 194,348 euros for each one of the points his squad gathered throughout the term – or 638,571 per win. In terms of goals, the Reds scored 92 and conceded 36. They tied for the best defence in the league, while being second only to the Citizens for the most goals scored in the league. Liverpool lost the Champions League final against Real Madrid, which is their third final in the tournament in the past six years.
Jose Mourinho
€513,333 per victory; €146,667 per point
The legendary Portuguese returned to Italian football; taking the reins of Roma in summer 2021. He didn’t enjoy much success in Serie A as the Romans finished sixth with 63 points. His team won 18 of the 38 league matches in total. But, in May 2022, Mourinho became the first manager to win all three continental cups; Roma winning the first ever edition of the Europa Conference League.
Mauricio Pochettino
€507,692 per victory; €153,488 per point
After an unbelievable summer transfer window that saw Leo Messi and Sergio Ramos come in among others, the expectations for Mauricio Pochettino were high. Les Parisiens won the league – but it’s safe to say the Argentinian did not meet expectations. PSG collected a total of 86 points in Ligue 1; 15 more than second-placed Marseille. The coach took home 153,488 euros for each of those points. But they lost to Lille in last 16 of the French Cup. At the same stage of the Champions League, meanwhile, they were eliminated by Real Madrid. That ultimately cost Pochettino his position.
Marcelino
€428,571 per victory; €109,091 per point
Athletic Bilbao ended in eighth position in the final La Liga standings and missed the chance to qualify for Europe. The Lions collected a total of 55 points across the 38-game season. Marcelino was paid €109,091 for every point accumulated by his side. The club won the Spanish Super Cup after defeating Real Madrid 1-0 in March. Only two other sides conceded less goals than Athletic in Spain’s top tier last season.
Carlo Ancelotti
€420,000 per victory; €126,977 per point
The Italian added two more La Liga and Champions League titles for Real Madrid to his already-full trophy cabinet. In Spain, he had it relatively easy; Los Blancos finishing 13 points ahead of their closest challengers. Ancelotti was paid 126,977 euros for each of Real’s 86 points. On their way to lifting their 14th Champions League title, Real defeated PSG, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool; all of whom were given better odds to win the competition by the bookies. Ancelotti claims his place as one of the greatest football managers as the only one in history to win the title in all five of the big leagues.
Julian Nagelsmann
€333,333 per victory; €103,896 per point
The youngest manager in this report took the Bavarian giants to a record 10th consecutive German title. Bayern Munich collected 77 points and recorded 24 victories en route to their Bundesliga triumph. In Europe, Nagelsmann and his team crashed out at the quarter finals of the Champions League at the hands of Villarreal.
Simone Inzaghi
€297,600 per victory; €88,571 per point
Inter won the Scudetto in 2021-2 with Antonio Conte in charge. But his successor, Simone Inzaghi, was unable to lead Inter to back-to-back Italian titles, after the Nerazzurri ended in 2nd position in Serie A behind city rivals Milan. Inter were the most entertaining team, however; scoring the most goals (84) and shipping just 32 – only one more than the best defences in the Italian top flight. Inzaghi’s payout among the highest earning football managers was €88,571 per point and €297,600 for every triumph.
Gerardo Seoane
€263,158 per victory; €78,125 per point
The Swiss manager led his Bayer Leverkusen to third in the Bundesliga in his maiden campaign. In Europe, the club reached the last 16 of Europa League; going down 4-2 on aggregate to Atalanta. In Germany, the team recorded 19 victories and a total of 64 points.
Marco Rose
€204,545 per victory; €65,217 per point
Rose spent just one season with Borussia Dortmund; leading them to the second spot in the final Bundesliga standings. BVB ended eight points behind champions Bayern Munich, but never really demonstrated title aspirations. With Rose at the helm, the Black & Yellow achieved 22 wins and 69 points in the league.
Christophe Galtier
€198,000 per victory; €60,000 per point
Nice ended up fifth in the French league. They secured a place in the Europa Conference League with a win over Reims in the final game of the 2021-2 season too. Les Aiglons collected 66 points throughout the term. Christophe Galtier earned his place among the top paid football managers with exactly 60,000 euros for each of those points and 198,000 for every of the 20 wins achieved in Ligue 1. The team conceded 36 goals, meaning they had the tied-best defence alongside PSG in the French top flight.
Jorge Sampaoli
€188,571 per victory; €55,775 per point
After a 26th consecutive term in the French top flight, Marseile were led to second in Ligue 1 by coach Jorge Sampaoli. Les Phoceens accumulated a total of 71 points, with Sampaoli pocketing 55,775 euros for each one of those. The side conceded just 38 goals, just three away from being the best defence in the league. Marseille won 21 games and Sampaoli received 188,571 euros for every single one.
Stefano Pioli
€134,615 per victory; €40,698 per point
We can’t miss the only manager across Europe’s top five leagues who upset the odds and came away with the title. And that’s despite not being in the top three best paid football managers in Italy! Milan won their first Serie A title in 11 years after gaining 86 points – two more than city rivals Inter. The Rossoneri were also joint first in the least conceded goals column; allowing a mere 31 to nestle in their net across the season.
Pioli started the term with a salary of 2 million euros. But he nabbed a better financial package in late November, which saw his pay increase to 3.4 million. Pioli was paid 40,698 for each of Milan’s 86 points and 134,615 for each victory.
