Argentinian star Lionel Messi may hope to make Paris Saint-Germain the best sports team in the world, alongside other star players on the French team, but he has certainly made them the most expensive. It seems no collective team worldwide, whether in football, baseball, or American football, can come close to the payroll of the French team following Messi's arrival. There are rumors of a $1.4 million per week deal, making Messi the 16th player at Paris Saint-Germain to receive a weekly salary package of six figures. The "Sun Sport" site breaks down the top ten salary bills in sports today, with figures sourced from "Spotrac" and "Salary Sport."
1. **Paris Saint-Germain - $355 million**
According to the three sites concerned with financial matters in sports, specifically "football," that is, soccer, baseball, and American football, the player payroll of Paris Saint-Germain is the highest by a significant margin from the second highest-paying club. As reported by the British newspaper "The Sun," the total salaries of Paris Saint-Germain players, following the arrivals of Messi, Ramos, and Gianluigi Donnarumma, along with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé before them, reached $355 million. Now, all that the French team needs, after finishing second in Ligue 1 last year and losing in the Champions League semifinals, is to win a collection of titles.
2. **Real Madrid - $294 million**
In second place, after the transfers of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus and Sergio Ramos to Paris Saint-Germain, part of the payroll expenses for the Spanish giants has been settled, but they still exceed most competing teams in salary costs. Currently, Welsh player Gareth Bale is the highest paid at Real Madrid, earning around $900,000 per week, followed by Belgian Eden Hazard with a salary of approximately $555,000 per week.
3. **Barcelona - $270.5 million**
FC Barcelona let go of their Argentinian star Messi at the end of his massive contract due to the salary cap rules in La Liga. With $270.5 million distributed among a group of "unstable" players like Philippe Coutinho and Miralem Pjanic this year, the departure of the club's legend may not be enough for them to avoid a "forthcoming penalty" in the upcoming months.
4. **Los Angeles Dodgers - $268 million**
The 2020 American League baseball champions regularly boast the highest average attendance and show no signs of backing down in their quest for the American championship title. The team includes a roster of stars in this sport, such as Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, David Price, Kenley Jansen, and Trevor Bauer. All these stars and other players combine to form the highest earners in American baseball, with total earnings amounting to $268 million annually.
4. **Manchester United - $268 million**
The pursuit of the Premier League title by the Red Devils since 2013 has led to some hefty transfer and salary fees. Goalkeeper David De Gea ranks first in wages, earning a weekly salary of up to $520,000, while Jadon Sancho is reported to earn $485,000 per week after arriving from Borussia Dortmund. With total salaries reaching $268 million, Manchester United ties for fourth place with the American baseball team Los Angeles Dodgers.
6. **Juventus - $255 million**
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest earner at Juventus. His annual salary of around $39 million significantly contributes to the fourth highest payroll in Italian football. With this total annual salary amount, Juventus, or "La Vecchia Signora" as some like to call it, ranks sixth among clubs with the highest salary expenditures.
7. **Bayern Munich - $230 million**
Bayern Munich has dominated German football, not just in terms of titles but also in salaries, with a total reaching $230 million annually. In addition to high-value contracts for players like Leroy Sané and Lucas Hernández, veterans Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer earn $277,000 per week.
8. **Dallas Cowboys - $220 million**
As the highest-grossing NFL team, it's no surprise that the Dallas Cowboys are concerned about facing salary cap rules in the league. Player Amari Cooper is the highest-paid after signing a five-year contract worth $100 million last year, yet the team's last Super Bowl title was won in 1995.
9. **Chelsea - $220 million**
Chelsea of England equals the Dallas Cowboys in total salaries and wages, but this situation is temporary pending the disclosure of Belgian player Romelu Lukaku's salary. It is rumored that the Belgian player's weekly salary reaches $347,000, which would make him the highest earner at the club, keeping Chelsea in second place for spending in the Premier League.
10. **Cleveland Browns - $219 million**
The Cleveland Browns fall slightly behind Chelsea in terms of salaries and wages, with the total salaries of their players amounting to approximately $129 million. Their player Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the few in American football who transcended the sport globally, being the highest annual earner at $14.5 million.
