Play Pays, Indeed: FC Barcelona Offers More Wages To Its Members Than Any Other Sporting Team In The World

The Spanish football club, FC Barcelona, is spending the most money on wages than any other sports team in the world, reports CNN. With ten million Euros a year in fees, Barcelona has become the first sports team in history to cross 10 million euros (13.76 million dollars) a year mark in average first-team wages.

The latest Global Sports Salary Survey from Sporting Intelligence website reveals the average basic pay for the first team in the ongoing season is 10,454,259 euros (13,755,714 dollars)- a 33 per cent rise from the previous season. The last time Barcelona topped the survey was in 2012 when the club’s average wages was half of the current average pay.

13-times European Champions Real Madrid follows their rivals, with the first-team players of Madrid earning 8.1 million euros (10.6 million dollars) a year. Last year’s toppers, Oklahoma Thunder, come down to third spot with 7.85 million euros (10.32 million dollars)

NBA teams Golden State Warriors (7.82 million euros/10.29 million dollars ) and Washington Wizards (7.63 million euros/10.04 million dollars) also feature in the list. All the three NBA teams have become the first American teams with an average pay of more than 10 million dollars per player a year.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s high wages after his Juventus transfer boosted his team position from 32nd place to ninth place with 6.72 million euros (8.85 million dollars). The English team, Manchester United, finishes the list with 6.5 million euros (8.6 million dollars). It is the only English team in the list.

French football giant, Paris Saint-Germain, slipped from fifth place in 2017 to 18th, with an average salary per player at 6.1 million euros (8 million dollars).