When you are one of the best in the world, how much are clubs willing to pay you? These are five of the highest-paid female footballers.
Many professional footballers lead extravagant lifestyles. They drive expensive sports cars, wear luxury watches, live in the most expensive cities, and support various causes. This is largely because when a club deems their talent as exceptional, they are more than willing to pay huge amounts to have the players represent the club logo.
From their club salaries alone, players can already stand to earn hundreds of thousands. And these numbers do not even account for brand deals or partnerships that add to their yearly pay.
These are some of the highest-paid female footballers in the world.
Megan Rapinoe
Megan Rapinoe is one of the biggest stars of the United States Women’s National Football Team, and she has been for a long time.
After leading the USWNT to their World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019, she also won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards in 2019 as the top goalscorer and the best player in the tournament. But, her influence goes beyond her trophies, as she is also a known advocate for many causes, including the LGBTQ+ community.
Now at 38 years old, she is nearing the end of her career, but she still earns like she’s in her prime, with a $250,000-a-year salary from her NWSL club OL Reign.
Vivianne Miedema
Vivianne Miedema is widely regarded as one of the best female strikers today, and as such, she is one of the highest-paid footballers.
The Dutch player currently holds the record of leading goalscorer in the Women’s Super League in the United Kingdom, with 78 goals to her name — a record she claimed after just three years playing with Arsenal’s women’s side. With her undisputable talent, she earns over $300,000 per year.
Julie Ertz
American footballer Julie Ertz is a member of one of the most talented national teams in the world, and yet, her talent still shines on the pitch.
Ertz proved her worth as she helped the United States Women’s National Team win the 2015 and 2019 World Cup titles. In fact, she played in every minute of the team’s seven games in the 2015 tournament and joined the Women’s World Cup All-Star Team. As a crucial defensive midfielder who has come to find her sweet spot on the pitch, she earns around $430,000 per year playing for Angel City FC.
Sam Kerr
Among the highest-paid female footballers in Europe is Chelsea’s star player, Sam Kerr.
Sam Kerr is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the sport and is the only female player to have won the Golden Boot (awarded to the player who has scored the most goals) in three different leagues: the W-League in Australia and New Zealand, the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States, and the Women’s Super League in the United Kingdom. Ever since she started her career as a teenager, she has more than proven her worth, and because of this, she is among the top highest-paid female footballers in the world, now earning an estimated $513,000 per year.
Alex Morgan
Alex Morgan is among the female footballers who have become household names around the world, and her value shows as she is one of the highest-paid players.
The American striker rose to fame after gaining worldwide recognition as an integral cog in the United States Women’s Team’s 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup victories. On top of this, her influence also went beyond football, as she was included in Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2019 and 2022.
With her talent on the pitch, along with multiple brand deals, her worth has soared over the years. In fact, she recently signed a contract with the San Diego Wave that pays her a reported $800,000 annual salary, making her the highest-paid player in the world.
Banner image from Alex Morgan on Instagram.
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