The Most Expensive Football Club Lineups of 2025 Revealed

Published 1 day ago• 6 minute read

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Football is a lucrative sport for players, clubs and sponsors. The most expensive line-ups for domestic and European clubs have now been revealed. We discuss them below.

At the end of the 2024 financial year, Chelsea had the most expensive football club ever assembled. According to a UEFA report, its value of players hit £1.39bn. This topped a long-held record set by Real Madrid, who had a squad worth £1.12bn in 2020.

In their European Club Finance and Investment Landscape Report, it also showed that four of the biggest hitters which were worth more than €1bn, were in the English Premier League. These included the aforementioned Chelsea, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Also obvious was the increased dominance of the EPL and the money it attracts. The list was overrun with European clubs, with the majority being in the Premier League. Teams like West Ham even had more expensive clubs than famous rivals like Barcelona and AC Milan.

1. Real Madrid – €1.075 Billion

Real Madrid leads the world with the most expensive starting XI, a result of years of strategic investment in young superstars. Key players include:
- Vinícius Júnior – €200M
- Jude Bellingham – €180M
- Kylian Mbappé – €170M

The lineup reflects Real’s shift towards youth and long-term dominance.

2. Manchester City – €815 Million

Pep Guardiola’s side continues to be one of the most valuable squads in Europe. Their starting lineup features:
- Erling Haaland – €200M
- Rodri – €130M
- Josko Gvardiol – €75M

With depth across every position, City remains a financial and footballing powerhouse.

3. Arsenal – €806 Million

Arsenal's youthful core has exploded in market value thanks to consistent performances and smart recruitment. Standout names include:
- Bukayo Saka – €150M
- Declan Rice – €110M
- William Saliba – €80M

The Gunners are now among Europe’s most valuable teams.

4. Liverpool – €658 Million

Despite a few transitions, Liverpool’s core remains highly valuable. Key players:
- Trent Alexander-Arnold – €75M
- Mohamed Salah – (exact valuation varies but still elite)

Jürgen Klopp’s squad maintains a strong balance between experience and market value.

5. Chelsea – €592 Million

Chelsea's massive investment in young players is beginning to reflect in their lineup's market value. Highlights include:
- Cole Palmer – €130M

A mix of developing stars and high-profile signings ensures Chelsea’s place in the top 5.

In the 2024 data, six English teams in the top ten also had some of the highest wage bills in the world. Overall, player wage growth averaged across all clubs was at 4.5% up from the year before.

Manchester City came second in the list, and top of the English clubs. They spent £465 million on wages but managed to keep their bill the same as the previous season. Three-time defending champions going into the season, their spending managed to help them retain this and add a UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup win to the trophy cabinet.

Liverpool sat in fifth place at £376.9M. This was a 5% increase on the year before and managed to get them a third-place final spot in the EPL. Additions to the silverware included a win in the EFL Cup. Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa held the seventh to tenth spots in that given order.

However, Liverpool's increase has borne fruit in the long term, seeing them take the title this year. Some of the best betting sites had been giving them 11/2 to win, with Manchester City being favourites at 3/2. These online bookmakers not only provide convenience but also have competitive odds.

At the top of the list was Paris Saint-Germain, who spent £552.3m on wages. This was an increase of 7% on the previous year. It was their first season without Neymar and Draxler for some time, so this may have been spent trying to fill their gaps. However, they did manage to win Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions, with a semi-final UEFA Champions League place.

When it came to wage bills, the most drastic change was seen in Barcelona. They cut their wage bill by 26% from the previous season. Spending £399.6 million put them fourth on the list.

Many teams also used the 2023-24 season to invest in stadiums and club infrastructure. This reached a record high across the board, with around £1.8 billion being invested in stadiums, beating prior records from 2019. It shows a continued trend for clubs to maximise the number of people they can get in on matchday, and possibly for improvements to ensure multi-function uses such as concerts during the summer.

There were four clubs that invested €100m. Chelsea was the only English club here and was joined by Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG. From 18 clubs the year previous, 36 invested €10m or more. Early reports suggest this investment has continued into the 2024/25 season.

During the season, Manchester City was dishing out wages for two of the highest-paid players in the league. First was Kevin De Bruyne, who was on an estimated weekly wage of £400,000. As a 31-year-old, he was in his prime, as shown in his 96 goals and 153 assists since he arrived at the club. His legacy also showed in the silverware the team had won while he was there with five premier league titles.

Second to this was Erling Haaland, who reportedly earns a little less at £375,000 per week. The season before he beat a Premier League record of 36 goals in a season. The 6-foot-4 Scandinavian is also a commanding figure in the team. At the young age of 22, it was also a wage that Man City would be using to keep him in the team for a long time to come.

In third place on the EPL wage bill was Salah. It was estimated that he was taking in around £350,000 after a new contract in the summer of 2022. Being a lacklustre season for both him and the club, he had cemented himself as a key piece of the Liverpool squad.

Despite being in his later years, during the season, Cristiano Ronaldo remained the highest-paid player in football, getting £218m. At 39 years, he managed to net himself £199m. This was also double the amount of any other player on the list. However, this was not just from wages but also included other activities. For example, he launched a popular YouTube channel during the year. This also includes income from his own clothing brands, hotels and sponsorship deals. This was on top of earnings from a deal with Saudi club Al-Nassr.

Messi came second in this at around £103m. At the time, he was playing for Inter Miami in the United States. However, on top of his wages, he was making an estimated £58m. This came from sponsorship deals, his work with AppleTV and social media.

Third was Neymar. The Brazilian was also playing at a Saudi club, this time at Al-Hilal. He made a lot of his £84m earnings through the year on social media. However, he also had sponsorship deals, despite being out with a knee injury for some time.