Barcelona Top List of 5 Clubs With Highest Wage Bills in Europe in 2023 With €637M

• FC Barcelona had the highest wage bill in Europe in 2023
• The Catalan club ranks first despite their financial issues
• Two Spanish and English clubs each featured in the top five

UEFA has released the financial analysis reports of how European clubs fared in different metrics last year, and FC Barcelona came on top in wages paid.

The Spanish giants have been in financial distress for the past four years, which is why they could not keep Lionel Messi at the club despite agreeing to a new contract with reduced terms.

Sports Brief looks at the top five clubs with the highest wage bills in 2023 via UEFA European Club Finance and Investment Landscape.

Clubs with highest wage bill in 2023

1. FC Barcelona

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The club's financial woes are not a secret, with fans of rival clubs calling them broke. Per the report, the club paid an astonishing €637 million in wages last year, representing 78% of their total revenue of €815mil. They have a squad value of €576mil.

2. Paris Saint-Germain

The French giants come in close second with a wage bill of €617mil in 2023 owing to huge salaries paid to Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr and Lionel Messi. Their wages account for 76% of their revenue. They should see a considerable reduction with the departures of Neymar and Messi, with Mbappe also set to leave at the end of the season.

3. Manchester City

The treble winners spent €554mil on salaries in 2023, which marked historic achievements in the club's history. The Citizens, who had the second highest revenue of €825mil, used 66% of their income to service wages.

4. Real Madrid

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Per Deloitte Football Money League, Real Madrid generated the most revenue with €831mil and paid out annual wages of €453mil, representing about 54% in wages ratio, one of the lowest on the list of top 20 clubs.

5. Liverpool

The second English club in the top five, Liverpool paid out €429mil in wages last season, 63% of their total revenue of €683mil. They went trophyless last season and managed to qualify for the UEFA Europa League this season.

Clubs with most revenue in 2022/23 season

Sports Brief previously analysed clubs with the most revenue in the 2022/23 season, with Spanish giants Real Madrid leading the way with €831mil ahead of treble winners, Manchester City.

Manchester United are the only team in the top five not to make the list of clubs with the highest wage bills despite generating over €700mil last season.