For many years, the Spanish national team has remained among the world’s top football teams. However, the financial rewards for the team’s coaches are not in line with their sporting achievements. Even when Spain ranks high in global standings, their coaches do not make the list of the highest-paid professionals.
This approach stems from the traditions and principles upheld by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Unlike federations in other countries, multimillion-euro contracts are not the norm here. Each new head coach receives a respectable salary, but cannot expect the record-breaking sums paid to their counterparts on other national teams.
This policy remained unchanged with the arrival of Luis de la Fuente. His predecessors—Luis Aragonés, Vicente del Bosque, and Luis Enrique (who nonetheless managed to secure a modest increase)—accepted similar terms. They all understood that if the main goal was a high salary, the Spanish bench was not the best choice. Even during the most recent coaching staff reshuffle, the federation faced challenges in assembling a team due to budget constraints. Aitor Karanka recently joined the staff.
Currently, Carlo Ancelotti is the highest-paid national team coach. The Brazilian Football Federation made considerable efforts to invite the Italian to lead the team, offering him a contract worth 10 million euros per year. Just four months after his appointment, Brazil is already looking to extend their cooperation, but the coach himself is not rushing to make a decision.
Luis de la Fuente is satisfied with the support he receives from the federation. In January 2025, he signed a new contract that will keep him in charge until the end of Euro 2028. This means he will serve as head coach for five years. Like his predecessors, he is aware of the federation’s financial capabilities and does not expect to earn extraordinary sums. Even with the recent changes to the coaching staff, salary was not a decisive factor for the candidates.
Interestingly, even World Cup winner Lionel Scaloni ranks only tenth on the list with an income of 2.3 million euros. The Argentine federation is also not known for its generosity toward coaches.
Among the ten highest-paid coaches, following Ancelotti is Thomas Tuchel, currently in charge of England, with a salary of 5.9 million euros. Next is Julian Nagelsmann from Germany, earning 4.9 million euros. These countries have traditionally allocated significant resources to compensate their managers.
Fourth place goes to Fabio Cannavaro, recently appointed as the head coach of the Uzbekistan national team. His contract is valued at 4 million euros per year. Previously, he worked with the China national team, and now he has returned to work at the international level.
Roberto Martínez, who leads the Portugal team, receives a similar amount. The Portuguese recently won the Nations League, defeating Spain in the final in Munich.
Didier Deschamps is completing his last cycle at the helm of the France national team with a salary of 3.8 million euros. He is followed by Marcelo Bielsa, coaching Uruguay, with an income 300,000 less. Ronald Koeman, in charge of the Netherlands, earns 3 million euros, while Gustavo Alfaro of Paraguay makes 2.5 million, placing his federation ninth in terms of coaching salaries.
