World's highest-paid football managers ranked ft Gerrard, Guardiola, Klopp & Ten Hag | OneFootball

Steven Gerrard has joined the elite list of the highest-paid managers in world football following his appointment at Al-Ettifaq.

The 43-year-old initially appeared to turn down the offer to join many current players in making the move to Saudi Arabia.

Gerrard was finally convinced to accept the position after a new attempt by the club.

He becomes the biggest name manager to make the move from England to Saudi Arabia, with more likely to follow eventually.

When the appointment was announced on Monday, Gerrard tried his best at the language of his new home, with mixed reviews online.

How much will Steven Gerrard earn at Al-Ettifaq?

Gerrard has signed a two-year contract with his new club until the summer of 2025.

He was previously made the highest-paid Aston Villa manager with a salary of £5 million-per-year, but that sum looks small in comparison to his new deal.

At Al-Ettifaq, the former England midfielder will earn £8.1 million-per-year, as per Sporting News.

L'Equipe have published a list of the highest-paid managers in football right now. Daily Mail have converted the figures into pound sterling.

the Sun, and these figures can be found below...

11 Steven Gerrard | Al Ettifaq | £155,000-per-week

With his contract now being officially signed, the Liverpool legend gets agonisingly close to being in the top 10 paid managers in the world.

Having been sacked by Aston Villa in October 2022, not even the man himself could have foreseen this change in circumstances.

It does feel like a step further away from his dream job as the Liverpool manager, but his deal will run out only one year before Jurgen Klopp's contract expires.

10 Jose Mourinho | Roma | £156,000-per-week

Mourinho could have made the move to the Saudi Pro League before Gerrard.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Portuguese boss turned down a massive £26 million-per-year contract offer from Al-Hilal.

He could have joined Ruben Neves and Kalidou Kouibaly at their new club, but he opted to remain loyal to Roma.

It is no surprise to see Mourinho among the highest earning managers in the world, having won everything possible in the game.

9 Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | £160,000-per-week (Per the Sun)

Having guided a young Arsenal side to second in the Premier League, Arteta has started to justify the high wages he is being paid.

A couple of tough seasons at the Emirates have ultimately paid off with the young manager becoming one of the best in the world at the moment.

He is yet to achieve anywhere near the success of Mourinho, who he earns more than, but is on a promising path.

8 Simeone Inzaghi | Inter Milan | £169,000-per-week

MILAN, ITALY - MARCH 04: Simone Inzaghi, Head Coach of FC Internazionale reacts during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and US Salernitana at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 04, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Having taken over the Italian giants in 2021, Inzaghi had the uphill task of following Antonio Conte.

He took over the club after they had won the Serie A title, and has done a good job since.

He guided his side to the Champions League final, where they were unfortunate to lose 1-0 to Manchester City in the 2022/23 season.

He is the second highest paid boss in Italy.

7 Erik ten Hag | Manchester United | £173,000-per-week (per the Sun)

The Manchester United manager will always be one of the most lucrative positions in world football.

The Dutchman has already somewhat earned his money with a League Cup win and qualification for the Champions League secured in his first 12 months at Old Trafford.

The ex-Ajax coach is heading in the right direction towards restoring the club at the pinnacle of European football, but still has a lot of work to do.

There are only two managers in England that take home a higher salary than Ten Hag currently.

6 Carlo Ancelotti | Real Madrid | £185,000-per-week

Reportedly set to take the opportunity of managing Brazil in summer 2024, it is surprising to see him this low on the list.

Winning a league title in every country he has managed, alongside multiple European titles, he is one of the most decorated managers in history.

The 64-year-old makes a relatively modest wage in comparison to the majority of players he coaches.

One can only imagine the money he has made during his 30-year career.

5 Thomas Tuchel | Bayern Munich | £203,000-per-week

Tuchel was a shock appointment with Julien Nagelsmann departing the club in early 2023.

The German was sacked unexpectedly by Chelsea himself in 2022, but is now the best paid boss in his home country.

Being knocked out of the German Cup and Champions League in quick succession was not an ideal start to his time in Munich.

However, drama on the final day of the Bundesliga, saw his side overtake Borussia Dortmund to retain their league title.

4 Max Allegri | Juventus | £217,000-per-week

Despite Juve's financial struggles, there are only three managerial positions in world football that currently pay better.

Allegri has been with the club since 2021, having previously been in charge from 2014 to 2019 also.

In that time he won several league titles and reached two European finals.

He does not look like he will be going anywhere in the near future either, and who can blame him with the paycheck he collects each week.

3 Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool | £302,000-per-week

Liverpool are a club known to not pay over the odds on player wages in the past.

While there are certain exceptions to this rule, players don't tend to get paid as well at the Merseyside club compared to their nearest rivals.

This rule clearly does not stretch to the managerial position as Klopp is the third-highest earning boss in the world.

He earns £100,000 per-week more than former Chelsea boss, Tuchel.

His eight-year stay at Liverpool has resulted in winning all the biggest prizes possible.

After signing a contract extension at Anfield until 2026, Klopp said: “There is just so much to love about this place. I knew that before I came here, I got to know it even better after I arrived, and now I know it more than ever before."

This proves he is unlikely to be letting go of this salary any time soon.

Turning the club's fortunes around so dramatically show exactly why they are keen to keep hold of him for as long as possible and reward him handsomely.

He earns less money than one other Premier League manager.

2 Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | £379,000-per-week

Fresh off the back of a treble winning campaign, many would assume Guardiola is the highest paid manager in the world.

This is not the case as he has to settle for second place, but first place in England.

The Spaniard has won four league titles in the last five seasons and does not look like slowing down any time soon.

The journey that began in 2016 is set to end in 2025 as Guardiola is reportedly set to leave once his current deal expires.

This will end his stay at the English club after nine full seasons and a cabinet full of trophies.

He is currently pursuing Sir Alex Ferguson's trophy haul to become the most decorated boss in history.

He has come out on top of his rivalry with Klopp on many occasions, and has also managed to do so when it comes to paycheck.

He has certainly earned the right to be among the top earners in his job.

1 Diego Simeone | Atletico Madrid | £574,000-per-week

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simone celebrates his sides UEFA Champions League win over Marseille, clenching his fists above his head to the crowd.

It will come as a shock to many that the Atletico Madrid boss earns almost £200,000 per-week more than any other manager in the world.

He has managed to topple Barcelona and Real Madrid on two different occasions to lift the La Liga title.

That speculation turned out to be premature however, and it's easy to se why.

Not many people would willingly wave goodbye to over half a million per-week.

He did manage to guide the side from the capital into the Champions League despite poor patches of form.

Will manager wages only continue to rise?

With Mourinho turning down a massive offer from Saudi Arabia, it is likely they will return for his services in the future.

More managers will be tempted with the sort of money Gerrard will be seeing in the next two years.

It may be unlikely, but there is no question other names will jump ship.