Back in 1998, the former World Cup winning West German manager France Beckenbauer opined: “I can see a time, not that far into the future, when all the biggest games will be between clubs, not countries.”

That prophesy has undoubtedly come to pass but the flow of big-name managers has moved in the opposite direction. Seven of the last 11 Champions League titles have been lifted by managers currently in charge of national teams.

Take Luis Enrique out of the equation and the last manager to win European club soccer’s grandest prize who is still employed by a club is José Mourinho—and even he reportedly turned down an approach from Portugal before moving to Real Madrid.

International management offers a relaxed calendar, the highs of the World Cup and, increasingly, a comfortable pay packet. However, some managers are compensated better than others.

Jump to:

1. Roberto Mancini
2. Zinedine Zidane
3. Luis de la Fuente
4. Mauricio Pochettino
5. Thomas Tuchel
6. Jurgen Klopp
7. Carlo Ancelotti

Roberto Mancini

Roberto Mancini’s historic remuneration has come under intense scrutiny lately. There are no “double contracts” upon his return to the Italian federation—or so it would appear. The terms of Mancini’s singular deal is thought to be worth $2.3 million (€2 million), per Gazzetta dello Sport.

Given the groveling the Euro 2020 winner has suffered through, repeatedly pleading for forgiveness after abandoning Italy to take on a vastly better-paid position in charge of Saudi Arabia, he may be satisfied with whatever he is paid.

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane’s arrival as France manager is hardly motivated by money. As the nation’s former No. 10 proved when he lost himself in a cathartic celebration of Michael Olise’s winner against Belgium, this is very much a passion project.

During his five years of self-imposed managerial exile, Zidane batted away countless job offers to remain in the wilderness, biding his time before filling the seat belatedly vacated by Didier Deschamps. “I’ve said it many times: there’s nothing greater than the French national team,” he gushed at his unveiling.

While it may be his dream, Zidane won’t come for free. L’Équipe report the former Real Madrid boss is taking home $4.1 million (€3.6 million) per year before taxes.

Luis de la Fuente

For all the talk of big names, the manager who currently holds the European Championship and World Cup is the ultimate federation man who hasn't managed a club side since 2011.

Luis de la Fuente led Spain to glory in the United States with a pay packet of a relatively modest $2.3 million (€2 million). A new six-year deal signed in the wake of that triumph has taken the Basque boss’s manager beyond $4.6 million, according to The Athletic. Given his track record, it’s still a bargain.

“I was born to be a national team manager,” De la Fuente has claimed, with plenty of justification. Across his first 50 matches at the helm, the former Athletic Bilbao fullback had racked up more major trophies (three) than losses (two).

Mauricio Pochettino

When Mauricio Pochettino first took over the U.S. men’s national team in 2024, he immediately became the highest paid coach in the history of the role. The U.S. Soccer Federation had to draw upon the support of financial backer Ken C. Griffin to fund a deal worth an annual sum of around $6 million, per ESPN.

It represented a pay cut compared to his Chelsea salary but was considerably more than his predecessor Gregg Berhalter, who was entitled to $2.3 million for taking the USMNT to the 2022 World Cup round of 16.

Pochettino is expected to earn even more after penning a new contract after making it to the same stage of the 2026 World Cup on home soil. The Argentine is now not only the first-team manager, but has also been entrusted with “the broader development of the full national team pathway, youth soccer, coaching education, professional league collaboration and other technical facets across the soccer community.” No pressure, then.

Thomas Tuchel

“It’s 18 months and then we agreed to sit together and we’ll see,” Thomas Tuchel declared when he signed his first short-term deal with England. “I have good experience with 18 months, unfortunately sometimes. I’m working on my long-term game!”

The first German manager of the Three Lions managed to convince the powers that be that he warranted a contract extension until the 2028 European Championship, which came with a rise on his $6.6 million (£5 million) annual salary, per BBC Sport.

Even after delivering a nut-and-bolt dismantling of the nation’s “DNA” while delivering the single worst 20 minutes of soccer in the nation’s World Cup history, Tuchel retained the backing of the Football Association.

Jurgen Klopp

Jürgen Klopp may have banked himself a salary worth around $8 million (£6 million) per year, as reported by BBC Sport, but he has made it abundantly clear that he will give all that up at the first sign of backlash from the media.

“If you behave badly and don’t leave my family in peace then I’ll be gone, I’ll just turn away,” Klopp told the assembled journalists at his introductory press conference with Germany.

“I know there are other countries where national team coaches are treated even worse. I’m not doing this job for myself, I’m doing it for you. I’m taking this job even though I’ve seen how you’ve treated Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel.

“I love this job but I am always ready to call it quits if need be.”

Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti has been in this game long enough to know to negotiate a contract extension before an international tournament. Brazil suffered its earliest World Cup exit since 1990 yet the personification of calmness in the dugout had a deal until 2030 to point toward.

Ancelotti’s cleverly arranged deal did not come with an increased salary, but when you are already earning $12 million per year, according to ESPN, it’s not exactly necessary.

Brazil has made Ancelotti the highest-paid manager on the planet to try and dramatically change the fortunes of a fallen giant which has now been dumped out of the knockout stages by the first European nation it’s faced at the previous six World Cups.