Who is the best paid women's footballer in the world right now, then? The salaries within women's football may dwarf those of men's football, but there are still some players within the game making a significant amount of money.
The USA’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has long had some of the most lucrative contracts in global women's football but England’s Women’s Super League (WSL) and Spain's Liga F have recently caught up.
Carli Lloyd was previously the best-paid women's footballer in the world with a reported annual salary of £377,000 at NY/NJ Gotham FC before her retirement in 2021. Sam Kerr then took her crown at Chelsea but does she still top the ranks for club fees?
Who is the best paid women’s footballer?
Kerr is no longer the best paid women's footballer, she has slipped to third on the list.
The highest paid female footballer is now Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati. The star, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2023, has been arguably the best player in the world the past few seasons and it saw her awarded a lucrative new deal with Barcelona.
Bonmati, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2023, now earns a reported £835,000 a year with the Spanish giants. This excludes any fees she may get from sponsorships etc.
Bonmati's Spain and Barcelona teammate Alexia Putellas is second on the list, reportedly earning £584,000 a year. She won the Ballon d'Or in 2021 and 2022.
The top three is rounded off with Australia and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr, who earns a reported £449,000 at Stamford Bridge, the Australian is currently on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The 31-year-old joined the Blues for the second half of the 2019/20 season and has been part of five successive WSL title wins.
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The player in fourth position has broken the transfer record in women's football over the past year. Zambia forward Racheal Kundananji was bought for $860,000 (£685,000) in February 2024 when she moved from Madrid CFF to Bay FC.
Kundananji is now reportedly earning £385,000 a year with other benefits like paid housing thrown into the deal too. In FourFourTwo's view the forward is worth more with her goal-scoring prowess.
In fifth is Keira Walsh (£382,00) who plays for Barcelona and is the highest ranked England international on the list. Norway and Lyon's Ada Hegerberg is next (£332,000), followed by Brazil international Marta (£322,000) who played her final game for her country at the 2024 Olympics.
France's Wendie Renard (£298,000), who also plays for Lyon is eighth on the list, with Canada’s Christine Sinclair (£288,000) ninth, and 22-year-old US star Trinity Rodman (£214,000) rounding out the top 10.
Other women's football salaries have not been widely reported and so have been left out of the list. But the rumour mill says England and Chelsea player Lauren James earns around £300,000 and England and Manchester City star Lauren Hemp is on £400,000.
Here’s the full list below (these salary amounts are widely reported figures but have not been confirmed by clubs or players):
- Aitana Bonmati (Spain and Barcelona) - £835,000 (€1m)
- Alexia Putellas (Spain and Barcelona) - £584,000 (€700,000)
- Sam Kerr (Australia and Chelsea) - £449,000 (€538,000)
- Racheal Kundananji (Zambia and Bay FC) - £385,000 (€461,000)
- Keira Walsh (England and Barcelona) - £382,000 (€457,000)
- Ada Hegerberg (Norway and Lyon) - £332,000 (€398,000)
- Marta (Brazil and Orlando Pride) - £322,000 (€386,000)
- Wendie Renard (France and Lyon) - £298,000 (€357,000)
- Christine Sinclair (Canada and Portland Thorns) - £288,000 (€345,000)
- Trinity Rodman (USA and Washington Spirit) - £214,000 (€256,000)
