PSG pay top wages – ESPN study – ESPN FC

Editor’s Note: The currency conversion figures in a previous version of this story were inaccurate. We have since made adjustments to reflect ESPN The Magazine’s published report, in dollars only.

Football clubs dominate the list of the biggest salaries paid to athletes across the whole of sport, according to a survey of wages conducted by Sporting Intelligence and ESPN The Magazine.

Eight out of the top 10 best paid clubs are from football, with only Major League Baseball franchises Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees close to the same numbers.

Big-spending French side Paris Saint-Germain are top for the first time with an average wage of $9.08 million per year and $174,692 per week. They also have the second-highest wage bill for the entire team at just over $227.09m, behind only the Dodgers on $272.70m, who also splashed $8.02m per year and $154,292 per week.

AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGE

1. PSG: $174,692
2. Real Madrid: $166,180
3. Man City: $165,343
4. Barcelona: $155,452
5. L.A. Dodgers: $154,292
6. Man Utd: $154,274
7. Bayern Munich: $147,326
8. Chelsea: $143,516
9. New York Yankees: $140,566
10. Arsenal: $133,658

Last year’s highest-paid team was Manchester City but they have fallen to third behind Real Madrid, who jumped up from fourth to second.

City pay their players an average of $8.59m per year and $165,343 per week, while Madrid have spent over 13 percent more than last year on wages at $8.64m and $166,180 per week.

Barcelona come fourth and they have spent over eight percent more than last year, moving up from fifth. The La Liga champions’ average yearly wage comes in at $8.08m, which is $155,452 per week.

Manchester United have moved up to sixth from eighth at an average spend of $8.02m, or $154,274 a week, while German champions Bayern Munich were the only non-movers at seventh — $7.66m and $147,326.

The Yankees are the only team in the top 10 to have spent less than last year (nine percent) and, as a result, fall to ninth in the table, sandwiched in between Chelsea (eighth) — $7.46m or $143,516 a week — and Arsenal (10th) — $6.95m or $133,658.

Liverpool move up from 20th to 14th place with an average yearly spend of $6.02m or $115,697 per week, while Champions League finalists and Italian champions Juventus are down from 18th to 24th with an average of $4.90m at $94,265.

Tottenham are the only other football team to make the top 50, at 30th this year with an average spend of $4.82m per year and $92,708 per week, having spent almost 20 percent more than last season.

Somewhat surprisingly, German side Schalke come 53rd ($4.27m), while Milan ($4.09m) are 58th. Dortmund finished 62nd, while Roma plunged to 66th from 25th after spending 22 percent less than last year, just ahead of 69th placed Inter Milan who fell from 31st.

ALL-TIME HIGHEST TRANSFER FEES

1) £85m Gareth Bale — Tottenham to Real Madrid, Sept. 2013

2) £80m Cristiano Ronaldo — Man Utd to R. Madrid, June 2009

3) £75m Luis Suarez — Liverpool to Barcelona, July 2014

4) £71m James Rodriguez — Monaco to Real Madrid, July 2014

5) £59.7m Angel Di Maria — Real Madrid to Man Utd, Aug. 2014

6) £56m Kaka — AC Milan to Real Madrid, June 2009

Aston Villa, in 80th, have the seventh-highest wages in the Premier League at $3.10m or $59,686 — ahead of both Atletico Madrid and Lyon — and just in front of 88th-placed Newcastle ($2.87m) and 90th-placed Everton ($2.80m).

In the rest of the world, Chinese side Shandong Luneng come 190th with an average wage of $1.11m and weekly salary of $21,339.

Toronto FC are the highest-paid MLS side as they come 204th at $891,304 per year and $17,140 per week, while LA Galaxy are 209th at $569,176 per year and $10,946 per week.