According to recent data, Football (Soccer) is the leading sport with the most revenue globally. The popular opinion is that only the players get the big bucks. However, several talented coaches in successful teams have also amassed huge fortunes for themselves over the years.
We shall outline the top 19 richest coaches in world football while highlighting their mouth-watering salaries and net worth. The football community is familiar with all the names on our list. These coaches have made history through years of hard work and dedication.
Wayne Rooney – (Net Worth: £125m)
The former England international and Manchester United Legend began his managerial career in 2020. Rooney was the first team manager at Derby County in the Championship till 2022.
The 2021/2022 season saw Derby County relegated and Rooney resigning from the managerial position. He then signed for D.C. United in the summer of 2022. He finished last in the Eastern Conference and left at the end of the season.
Wayne Rooney signed for Birmingham City in October 2023. In January 2024, the club let him go after he had won just two of his last 15 games and left Birmingham City in 20th place.
Wayne Rooney has yet to attain success in his managerial career. Most of his £125m net worth came from his time as a player. Rooney remains committed to finding his foot as a football manager in English football.
Diego Simeone – (Net Worth: £102m)
Diego Simeone El Cholo is a former Argentine National Team player and the current manager of Spanish Club – Atletico Madrid. His unrivalled passion for the game and unreal defensive tactical setups made El Cholo popular among football fans.
Before becoming one of the world's most successful and respected coaches, Simeone played for Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Inter Millan, Lazio, and Racing Club.
In 2006, Diego Simeone retired from professional football at Racing Club. El Cholo first managerial stint was at Racing Club, where he returned in 2011, having managed Estudiantes, River Plate, San Lorenzo, and Catania in his time away.
Six months after joining the Racing Club, Simeone signed up with Atletico Madrid on December 23, 2011. To his credit, El Cholo has won one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey, one Supercopa de Espana, two UEFA Europa League (UEL) trophies, and two Uefa Super Cups, with his Atletico Madrid side.
Simeone's net worth estimate is £102m, making him one of the wealthiest football coach. To this day, El Cholo has remained the same energetic and tireless manager who signed for Atletico Madrid in 2011.
José Mourinho – (Net Worth: £100m)
José, popularly known as the Special One, is a Portuguese football coach. He has managed top European clubs, including Benfica, Porto, Inter Millan, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Roma.
Mourinho is forever immortalized by Porto Fans, having led them to two Primera Liga titles and a UCL. He then joined Chelsea in 2004 and won two consecutive league titles. The Special One also won back-to-back titles with Inter Millan, including a UCL trophy in his second season.
He achieved league success with Real Madrid. José won the 2014/2015 Premier League title upon his return to Chelsea in 2013. The Special One excelled in Europe with Manchester United and Roma, winning the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League.
Mourinho's £100m net worth complements his commitment to attaining success with his teams over the years. He remains dedicated to football and nullifying his rivals with his park-the-bus tactics.
Pep Guardiola – (Net worth – £100m)
Current Man City manager Pep is one of the greatest football coaches ever. He began his managerial career as Barcelona team B coach. He took over the first team in 2008, winning his first continental treble.
Pep is famous for winning the sextuple in a calendar year at Barcelona. After winning 14 trophies in total, he departed Barca for Bayern at the end of the 2012/2013 season. He won three consecutive Bundesliga titles before leaving for Manchester City in 2016. So far, he has won five (5) Premiere League titles in six (6) years, including A UEFA Champions League (UCL) title.
Pep earns an average of £23m a year at Manchester City. His £100m estimated net worth comes from years of hard work and success in Europe. Pep Guardiola remains a master of the craft and continues to torment English football with his exceptional style of play.
Zinedine Zidane – (Net Worth – £99m)
Zidane is a former French International and Real Madrid legend. His successful career as a football player saw him win three FIFA World Player of the Year awards. The football community believes he is one of the best midfielders ever.
After retirement, he got an assistant managerial position at Real Madrid in 2013 and then coached Real Madrid B in 2014. Zidane became the first team manager at Real Madrid in 2016 and is famous for winning the UCL three times between 2016 and 2018. He has a £99m net worth.
Stephen Gerrard – (Net Worth: £72m)
Stephen Gerrard is a former England International who played at Liverpool for 17 years. He found success in domestic and European competitions at Liverpool but failed to win a league title during his time there.
After retiring from LA Galaxy in 2016, Gerrard took up the coaching mantle with Liverpool U18/19. He left to take his first-team job at Rangers, where he won the Scottish Premiership in the 2020/2021 season. Gerrard joined Aston Villa in 2021 but could not replicate his success at Rangers. He is currently the head coach at Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.
Gerrard made a lot of money from his illustrious playing career and now earns £15m per year at his current job. His £72 net worth makes him 5th on our list of richest football managers. Gerrard commits to promoting football in Asia and attaining success at Al-Ettifaq.
Carlo Ancelotti – (Net Worth: £40m)
Carlo Ancelotti, nicknamed Don Carlo, is a former Italian international midfielder and the standing manager at Real Madrid. He has managed several top football clubs, including Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint Germain (PSG), and Bayern.
Don Carlo has won league titles in England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France. He has won four UCL titles, two with AC Millan and two with Real Madrid. He currently earns £9.5m per year at Real Madrid. Don Carlo is still going strong and has his eyes set on the biggest prizes in football.
Jurgen Klopp – (Net Worth: £39m)
Jurgen Klopp has achieved success in Europe with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. Klopp spent most of his playing career in Mainz 05. It was no surprise that he eventually took up the managerial mantle at the club upon retirement. Klopp managed to get Mainz 05 promoted from the 2 Bundesliga.
Jurgen Klopp joined Borussia Dortmund in 2008, winning two Bundesliga titles and finishing runner-up in the 2012/2013 UEFA Champions League. He also joined Liverpool in October 2015.
Klopp has won a Premier League title, UCL, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup with Liverpool. He will leave the club at the end of the 2023/2024 season. He has attained a £39m net worth from his years of managerial success in football.
Fabio Cannavaro – (Net Worth: £45m)
Fabio Cannavaro is a former Italian international who played for Napoli, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Real Madrid. His first managerial position was with Al-Ahli as an assistant manager. He has since managed Al-Nassr, China national team, and most recently – Benevento.
His £45m is unsurprising, as the 2006 Ballon d'Or winner made massive amounts of money managing clubs in China and Saudi Arabia. In 2023, Fabio Cannavaro left his role at Benevento and hopes to return to football soon.
Rafael Benitez – (Net Worth: £30m)
Rafael Benitez is a Spanish football manager and former player. He has managed big clubs like Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Napoli. Due to poor performances, his last club, Celta Vigo, recently let him go.
Due to his various exploits at some of the biggest clubs in Europe, it is no wonder that he has amassed a net worth of £30m. Benitez has always been passionate about football and will not stop anytime soon.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – (Net Worth: £24m)
Ole Gunnar, a former Norway international and Manchester United legend, started his managerial career with the Manchester United reserves in 2008. He finished runner-up with Manchester United in the 2020/2021 UEL season.
Ole is deservedly worth £24m, having had a decent playing career and a 3-year managerial stint at Manchester United. Solskjaer is currently out of the job but remains enthusiastic about landing a role soon.
Roy Hodgson – (Net Worth: £20m)
Having played the game himself between the 60s and 80s and managing 22 teams, Roy Hodgson is a household name in English football. He has managed club and national football teams, including Switzerland, Inter Millan, Liverpool, England, and Crystal Palace.
Roy's £20m net worth is no surprise, having been in the football mix since the early 1960s. Roy is famous for his many successful relegation battles. The Englishman could retire soon, but he remains a big name in world football.
Antonio Conte – (Net Worth: £20m)
Antonio Conte was a long-serving football player for the Italian giants – Juventus. Conte played there for 13 years, having only played for Leece before. Conte decided to take up coaching soon after he retired from playing in 2004.
Antonio Conte returned to Juventus as a coach in 2011, leading them to three consecutive Serie A titles. After leaving in 2014, Conte joined Chelsea, where he won a Premier League title. After leaving Chelsea, he returned to Italy to coach Inter Millan. He would later return to England to manage Tottenham Hotspur.
Conte is currently on a break away from football. He has amassed considerable wealth, with £20m in net worth.
Joachim Low – (Net Worth: £17m)
Joachim Low is famous for winning the World Cup with Germany in 2014. He was a valued part of the German international team for almost two decades. He was able to amass a lot of money, marking up a £17m estimate, from his time as the German coach.
Manuel Pellegrini – (Net Worth: £16m)
Manuel Pelligrini, a Chilean football manager and former professional player, has 36 years of experience in management. He has been around since the 1970s, and his £16m net worth puts him on our top 19 list. Fans love Manuel for his dedication, perseverance, and management, with little to no resources to contend with.
Brendan Rodgers – (Net Worth: £13m)
Brendan Rodgers hails from Northern Ireland. The Irish football manager and former player retired from playing football at 20. He began his managerial career with Chelsea Reserves in 2006 and has since coached notable clubs like Liverpool, Leicester City, and Celtic.
He led Celtic to an unbeaten domestic season in the 2016/2017 season and won trebles in his first two seasons. He is a manager with an unwavering winning mindset and has made a name for himself in the football world.
Massimiliano Allegri – (Net Worth: £11)
The Italian-born football manager and former midfielder is famous for his long service with the Old Ladies – Juventus. He has won five Serie A trophies at the club. He also won one Serie A title at AC Milan. Max Allegri remains one of the faces of Italian football to date.
Mauricio Pochettino – £11m/Year
Mauricio Pochettino was a center-back in his days, having played for notable clubs, including PSG and Espanyol. His first managerial appointment was with Espanyol in 2009. The Argentine then managed Tottenham and took them to their first-ever UCL final.
He joined PSG in 2021 and won all the available domestic trophies within his two years there. Now, Poch manages Chelsea and recently finished runner-up in the English Football League (EFL) cup. There is no doubt that Pochettino makes it to our list, having been with three big clubs.
Marcelo Bielsa – £8m/Year
Through his 42-year managerial career, Marcelo Bielsa has managed country and club football. He has been with Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Bielsa finished first with Leeds United, leading them back to the Premier League for the 2020/2021 season.
Marcelo Bielsa is one of the biggest earners among coaches in world football. Undoubtedly, he is one of the wealthiest managers, thus making it to our top 19 list.
