50 highest annual wage bills in Europe's Big 5 leagues

Often known as the 'Big five', the top divisions in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are widely regarded as the most prestigious in world football. 50 highest annual wage bills in Europe's Big 5 leagues consists of clubs representing the Big Five leagues, hence the sheer capacity of paying massive player wages.

And clubs from these nations normally dominate the Champions League and Europa League knockout rounds, creating a cycle where their efforts are rewarded financially and increases the gulf between teams in other countries.

But there's one country that populates a list of the highest annual wage bills than any others – England. The Premier League is full of clubs that, due to lucrative television deals, can pay astronomical fees for players.

Even so, it's still surprising to see that Aston Villa pay more on wages than Roma, West Ham spending more than AC Milan and Crystal Palace shelling out bigger sums than Napoli, Lazio and Valencia.

Towards the top of the list, PSG are miles out in front of everybody else – the wages of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar alone are worth more than many clubs – while Barcelona and Real Madrid also stand on the podium.

Manchester United are England's highest-placed club, with their £233million wage bill ranking as the fifth highest in Europe's top five leagues.

Read More: https://sportzpoint.com/football/10-highest-paid-la-liga-players-in-2022-23/

But what other surprises does the list contain? Take a look below for the full 50 highest annual wage bills in Europe's Big 5 leagues. Note: all figures are in GBP. 

1. PSG – £351.3million

2. Barcelona – £300.1million

3. Real Madrid – £241.3million

4. Bayern Munich – £230.2million

5. Manchester United – £223million

6. Chelsea – £164.4million

7. Manchester City – £163.1million

8. Atletico Madrid – £148.4million

9. Liverpool – £141.8million

10. Juventus – £136.7million

11. Internazionale – £108.6million

12. Tottenham – £101.3million

13. Villarreal – £85.6million

14. Arsenal – £85.5million

15. Borussia Dortmund – £81.4million

16. Sevilla – £81.1million

17. RB Leipzig – £77million

18. Aston Villa – £75.2million

19. Roma – £73.2million

20. West Ham United – £70.2million

21. AC Milan – £67.6million

22. Leicester City – £65.6million

23. Newcastle United – £62.6million

24. Athletic Bilbao – £62.2million

25. Crystal Palace – £59.2million

26. Napoli – £58.5million

27. Lazio – £51million

28. Marseille – £50.4million

29. Everton – £46.8million

30. Valencia – £45.5million

31. Fiorentina – £42.6million

32. Real Betis – £39.9million

33. Bayer Leverkusen – £39.6million

34. Monaco – £38.2million

35. Fulham – £37.6million

36. Wolfsburg – £36.9million

37. Wolves – £35.7million

38. Southampton – £35.4million

39. Borussia Monchengladbach – £35.3million

40. Lyon – £35.2million

41. Hertha Berlin – £32.5million

42. Hoffenheim – £31.9million

43. Real Sociedad – £30.9million

44. Monza – £30.5million

45. Bournemouth – £29.1million

46. Schalke – £29.1million

47. Atalanta – £28.9million

48. Nottingham Forest – £28.6million

49. Brighton – £28.3million

50. Torino – £24.3million

*Figures taken from FBref.

This completes our list of 50 highest annual wage bills in Europe's Big 5 leagues. Follow Sportz Point