Football players´ salaries: Slovakia lags behind

The majority of football players leaves the Slovak premier league because of better financial terms. Most of them transfer to the neighbouring the Czech Republic and Poland because of the short distance and non-existing language barrier. There have been speculations on the salaries in the neighbouring countries. A study made by the company Sporting Intelligence, which is publishing incomes of players in various sports and clubs yearly, offers a comparison for the first time. The study reads that the football players in Slovakia earn in average 32000 euro yearly, which is twice less than in the Czech Republic 61000 euro yearly and even three times less than in Poland. "there are two - three clubs in each of those countries that pay to the players substantially more than average. In Slovakia Slovan Bratislava pays the unique amounts," says Jozef Tokos, sports analyst and football intermediary for the Economic Daily.  

(...) According to the study, Hungary is also higher in the income chart. The players earn there 80000 euro. "For instance, in Hungary promoted teams to the premier league can offer a player 4-5000 euro netto, which is impossible in Slovakia," comments Tokos. In his opinion these amounts prove why the mediocre clubs from the neighbouring countries are also considered to be attractive for football players. "That relates to V4 countries. The salaries in top 5 European leagues are substantially higher, but you can look at the much higher  financial level in, say, Austria, Turkey or Russia," the analyst says.

(...) According to Global Sport Salaries Survey for 2018, the football club FC Barcelona tops the clubs chart. FC Barcelona pays their players 12,1 million euro a year in average, which is 2,7 million euro more than the second club Real Madrid. 6 NBA basketball teams follow. Football club Juventus Torino (7,8 million euro) and Manchester United (7,6 million euro) are at the bottom of top ten. "I am surprised by the high position of Atletico Madrid in the chart. Elite players have kept transferring from Atletico Madrid in recent years seeking better financial tearms, but now Atletico is one of the clubs with highest average salaries," evaluated Tokos. Atletico leapfrogged most from the spot 52 to 17, but it is 6th among the football clubs.