Sports
20 Highest-Paid Football Managers in the World (2026)
Being a football manager is a thankless task. It brings an incredible amount of pressure, often without too much reward. Unless a manager retires or resigns, they will be sacked from their job as soon as results become less than satisfactory. But if they are good enough to manage at the top level, they will be extremely well paid for the gig.
An insane amount of money is flying around in the beautiful game, with elite players and managers being paid mind-blowing sums. The finances have only continued to grow over the years, especially with Saudi Pro League clubs handing out huge contracts to lure top coaches to their shores.
Due to this, we have outlined the 20 highest-paid managers in the world, stretching from the international game to the desperation to win the Champions League at certain clubs. The dynamic in the sport is consistently changing – and it’s likely these managers will be at the forefront.
20
Jose Mourinho – Benfica
Yearly wage: £5m
After a 21-year absence, Jose Mourinho is back working in his native Portugal after accepting a return to Benfica – the club where he began his illustrious managerial career back in 2000. Since leaving FC Porto in 2004, Mourinho has managed Chelsea (twice), Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham, AS Roma and Fenerbahce.
Now aged 63, Mourinho has returned to his homeland, ready to complete his unfinished business with Benfica. “Benfica officially asked me if I was interested. What coach says no to Benfica? Not me,” Mourinho – who is said to be pocketing £5m a season, according to Salary Leaks – told reporters. “When I was presented with the opportunity to coach Benfica, I didn’t hesitate to say that I’m interested, that I’d like to.”
19
Thomas Tuchel – England
Yearly wage: £5m
With Gareth Southgate stepping down as England boss, Thomas Tuchel has been selected as his successor and will make a very pretty penny as a result. The Three Lions have won just one major piece of silverware throughout their history, but the German has brought a winner’s pedigree with him.
Through spells with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, he’s won a handful of trophies over the years. That experience of winning saw him immediately become one of the highest-paid international managers in the world with his appointment. If he manages to deliver England their first triumph since 1966, though, his salary will be regarded as a huge bargain.
18
Manuel Pellegrini – Real Betis
Yearly wage: £5.2m
It might come as a bit of a surprise to see Manuel Pellegrini make the top 20 here with Real Betis, but a manager of such pedigree won’t come for cheap. After all, he won the Premier League and two League Cups at Manchester City, as well as honours with River Plate and Villarreal.
His £5.2m salary is a direct result of that past success as well as what he’s achieved with Betis since arriving in 2020. Most notably, he led them to a Copa del Rey triumph in 2022, and then they finished Europa Conference League runners-up in 2025. He continues to impress now, as the Spanish side currently sit fifth in La Liga, having finished sixth last term.
17
Eddie Howe – Newcastle
Yearly wage: £6.1m
After first emerging as a brilliant young English coach at Bournemouth, guiding the Cherries to the Premier League all the way up from League 2, Eddie Howe took charge of Newcastle in 2021. The talented manager seemed like the perfect fit for the new Saudi billionaire PIF project.
He’s certainly delivered some great moments too, securing Champions League football and the club’s first major trophy, the League Cup, in 56 years. Things have regressed in 2026, so it remains to be seen if he’ll retain the faith of the club, but for now, he pockets a healthy yearly wage of £6.1m.
16
Jorge Jesus – Al-Nassr
Yearly wage: £6.1m
Since the summer of 2023, when he moved from Fenerbahce in Turkey to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Jorge Jesus has become accustomed to being paid handsomely. He won plenty of silverware across his 99-game career in the Al-Hilal dugout before being lured to manage the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane at Al-Nassr.
No need to move too far, Jesus – 71 years old from Portugal – became his compatriot’s boss over the summer months of 2025. He quickly became one of the best-paid managers in world football on £6.1m. Ronaldo, who has won just the Arab Club Champions Cup with his current employers, will be hoping that Jesus can work his magic.
15
Vincent Kompany – Bayern Munich
Yearly wage: £6.1m
Despite finding himself at the bottom of Bayern Munich’s potential list of managerial candidates in the summer of 2024 – behind a failed U-turn for Thomas Tuchel, the head coach whom the club was sacking in the first place – Vincent Kompany was handsomely rewarded upon his arrival in Bavaria. Just 18 short days after Burnley’s Premier League relegation was confirmed, the Clarets had their manager poached by the record Bundesliga champions.
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It isn’t just players commanding large fees these days.
On top of Kompany’s steep salary, Bayern had to stump up a £10.2m compensation fee to extract the Belgian manager from his existing deal with Burnley. He delivered the Bundesliga title to the Bavarian giants at the end of his debut campaign in charge at the Allianz Arena and has now repeated the trick in 2025/26..
14
Hansi Flick – Barcelona
Yearly wage: £6.5m
Barcelona, under Hansi Flick’s stewardship, have quickly become one of the best teams in world football, boasting the likes of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski. With such a lethal three-man attacking unit, there’s no surprise that the Spanish side are expected to endure plenty of success in the coming years – and Flick could be equally important to their success.
Having won the continental treble at Bayern Munich, he then struggled during his time in charge of Germany, but has refound his groove back in club football. Barcelona look set to secure back-to-back La Liga titles under Flick, and truthfully, there are very few managers who can hold themselves in the same regard. For his dues, he’s paid £6.5 million on a year-by-year basis.
13
Arne Slot – Liverpool
Yearly Wage: £6.6m
Liverpool boss Arne Slot initially exceeded all expectations since replacing Jurgen Klopp. Filling the German’s big shoes appeared to be an almost-impossible task, but the assured Dutchman made it look effortless as he delivered a Premier League title, with the help of Mohamed Salah’s mountainous efforts in the final third.
In his second season with the Reds, however, the Dutchman has not been able to replicate that success. At best, Slot will be hoping to secure Champions League football by finishing in the top five. Anything less and he can kiss his £6.6m annual salary goodbye, as Liverpool would be all but certain to replace him. For now, though, he remains in the Anfield hot seat.
12
Roberto De Zerbi – Tottenham
Yearly wage: £8m
Of all the managers on this list, Roberto De Zerbi probably has the toughest job on his hands. Parachuted into an absolute mess of a situation at Tottenham, he arrived with just seven games to save Spurs from Premier League relegation. With that in mind, it’s little wonder the English club have thrown a massive wage at the Italian, as they desperately convinced him to come on board.
At the very least, he arrives with good experience, having spent two years at Brighton & Hove Albion previously. That said, things often end in explosive fashion for De Zerbi, so it will be fascinating to see how things play out at Tottenham.
11
Unai Emery – Aston Villa
Yearly wage: £8m
Aston Villa, at points over the last year or two, have been in dreamland. After Unai Emery steered the side from 17th in the table to 7th during his first campaign in charge, bringing European football back to Villa for the first time in 13 years, the Spaniard then followed up this triumph with a new five-year contract, as he pockets £8m per year in the Midlands.
In 2025/25, Emery guided Aston Villa to the Champions League quarter-finals, the FA Cup semi-finals, and secured qualification for the Europa League via the Premier League – Europe’s second-tier competition that he has won a record four times. This time around, ot looks as though he will guide his team to a Champions League finish again. Regularly mocked during his time at Arsenal, nobody is laughing at this world-class coach now.
Former Manchester United forward Mark Hughes has revealed the sudden passing of his 38-year-old son, Alex, in a heartbreaking statement on Saturday night.
Hughes senior, 62, most recently managed Carlisle United, but he left the club at the end of May after failing to win promotion from the National League.
Prior to that, he had a journeyman managerial career with stops such as Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Southampton, and Bradford City. But now, family matters are of primary importance, following this week’s sad news.
Mark Hughes’ Emotional Statement After Passing of Alex
In an emotional family statement shared via the League Managers Association (LMA), he wrote: “Jill and I are totally heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected loss of our beloved son Alex.
“Alex was a wonderful son, brother to Curtis and Xenna, devoted husband and father to Jessica and their two beautiful children Sebastian and Leonardo. Alex was Player Recruitment Lead at Grimsby Town FC, and had many good friends and colleagues. He will be so deeply missed by us all.”
It concluded: “We ask for privacy during this sad time as we come to terms with our family’s loss,” with the circumstances around the tragedy currently unknown.
Born in 1987, while dad Mark was contracted to Barcelona, Alex had a brief football career in Wales before moving into a variety of behind-the-scenes roles. As per The Sun, he earned his stripes as a match analyst at Blackburn before Man City took him on as a scout.
Alex then worked as chief analyst at another of his dad’s former clubs, Fulham, before forging his own path with advisory roles at 1860 Munich and Reading. In 2024, he took over as director of football at AFC Fylde before returning to prominent scouting roles at Morecambe and Grimsby.
All eyes were firmly on teenager Yan Diomande during Germany vs Ivory Coast at the 2026 World Cup. The RB Leipzig winger has been heavily linked with a switch to Liverpool this summer, and fans have now had their say.
Replacing Mohamed Salah was never going to be an easy task after the Egyptian King brought his nine-year spell at Anfield to an end last month. It’s certainly proving to be a costly mission, with Diomande’s current club slapping a £100 million+ price tag on his head.
Not only are Andoni Iraola’s side looking for a player who can play on the right flank, but Diomande’s versatility is likely a very appealing trait. For his country, he started on the left-hand side of attack following an impressive debut in the competition vs Ecuador.
Yan Diomande Catches the Eye vs Germany
It was a slow start at Toronto Stadium for the young forward. Diomande had several loose touches, giving the ball away needlessly in the opening exchanges.
Even with his lightning speed, he was struggling to get on the end of his own heavy touches. However, the first hydration break shortly after the 23-minute mark definitely woke him up.
The 19-year-old looked like a different player once proceedings got back underway. He gave veteran full-back Joshua Kimmich a torrid time with his lightning-quick feet and fearless dribbling ability.
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He was key to the opening goal as Diomande breezed past Kimmich before firing a dangerous ball into the area. It eventually fell to Franck Kessie, who put the ball in the net. From that moment on, the Germans were terrified of what the young Ivorian could do.
Liverpool fans were conducting their own scouting mission while watching from home. “Liverpool just pay the f****** money for Diomande; this kid is top quality,” one supporter pleaded.
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Andoni Iraola has been linked with the Liverpool job, and could have an ideal starting 11 next season.
Another compared Diomande to Ousmane Dembele, who has a similar turn of pace: “A stop-start move on either side from Diomande is as good as peak Dembele.”
Even ex-Red Daniel Sturridge was raving about the performance, posting: “Diomande is causing all kinds of trouble. Africa always produces amazing attackers, and he’s next up. Love his game.”
One fan simply said: “Diomande that is incredible wowwwww,” while another compared him to a Liverpool great: “Yan Diomande showing us all that Sadio Mane trait. Stand the defender up, slow, slow, slow and then boom! He’s gone. Impossible to defend. What a talent.”
World Cup viewers have cast a very strong verdict on Liverpool striker Alexander Isak after he struggled to find a bolt from the blue in Sweden’s attempts to turn around a 5-1 loss against the Netherlands on Saturday evening.
After a slow start to this summer’s tournament with a 2-2 stalemate with Japan in their opener, Ronald Koeman’s side – featuring a trio of Isak’s clubmates – found a way to change their own fortunes and find an instant response to concerns they may not continue to build on their reputation as perennial dark horses.
But while the scoreline might suggest the reaction to Sweden’s number nine is bound to be negative, there were parts of his game that shone stateside. There was a feeling that his teammates let him down somewhat, too, and points being made on social media make for an interesting – and insightful – read.
How World Cup Fans Have Reacted to Isak’s Performance vs Netherlands
One X user wrote of Isak, who also still managed to grab an assist: “Isak had such a good first half, he started all three of Sweden’s best moves,” while another added:
“Alexander Isak’s masterclass against Holland. He drops deep to receive, inside, with his back to goal, then opens up wider on the wing. He creates space, launches his teammates into attack. Self-sacrificing and committed.”
Of course, Liverpool fans had a lot to say as well, and it would seem his fitness level is slowly getting back to how it was with Newcastle, prompting more positive reactions. As one supporter put it: “Alexander Isak is definitely returning to his level. He’s a huge footballer, huge. He has the full repertoire to lead the front line and invent plays out of thin air.”
Another continued: “One thing I’m proper excited about seeing from Alexander Isak for Sweden here, is that he’s playing really well with a second striker alongside him in Victor Gyokeres. That means him and Hugo Ekitike can do the same at Liverpool. Exciting thought.”
Statistics Support the Idea that Isak is Returning to Form
After registering three goal involvements last week, it would surely have been a tough ask for Isak to continue that rich vein of form, especially when his team found themselves with their backs against the wall for the majority of their visit to the Houston Stadium. But his FotMob rating suggests he did just that.
In fact, he was the fourth highest-rated player on the pitch, with Cody Gakpo earning Man of the Match with two goals and an assist. Isak created the most chances of any player with four, while registering a shot on target, a 100 per cent dribble success rate, all while also winning both his ground duels.
Perhaps the most promising part of his game that cannot be tied to statistics, though, is how often he was chasing the ball, making runs, or coming short to pick up the ball from deep or out wide. His movement, especially under an expansive head coach like Andoni Iraola, will provide his teammates with an incredible asset in attacking plays next term.
Mark Hughes’ Son, Alex, Passes Away Aged 38
Liverpool Fans Cast Yan Diomande Verdict After Germany vs Ivory Coast
World Cup Fans Praise Alexander Isak’s Display in Netherlands 5-1 Sweden
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