Players are further away from the people — in their salaries

The highest income gap between players and fans is in Barcelona. They earn 357 times more than the average wage.

Tens of thousands of fans in the stands pay to watch 22 millionaires chase a leather ball. This sentence applies especially to top European clubs, where the wage gap between professional footballers and supporters continues to grow. And it's precisely these differences that a study published on the insideworldfootball portal examined. According to the study, the most significant wage gap is in Catalonia’s Barcelona. The weekly wage of a footballer there averages nearly €128,000. On the other hand, the average salary of the general population is just under €358 — meaning FC Barcelona players earn 357 times more than their supporters make in their own jobs. “Club revenues and player salaries continue to rise. The gap between them and the fans will keep growing,” said Jozef Tokos, sports analyst and football agent, in an interview with the Economic Daily.

Everything changed with Bosman
The second most significant gap is also in Spain, specifically with Real Madrid players (309 times the average salary), and third is Manchester United (282 times). Why is it that football sees such a massive increase in income compared to other industries? “The number of fans, especially those watching on TV, is constantly growing worldwide, which boosts sponsor revenues. And when it comes to wages, the Bosman case changed everything,” Tokos explained. The Bosman case refers to the story of former Belgian footballer Jean-Marc Bosman. Back in 1990, after his contract expired, he wanted to change clubs, but his then-employer RFC Liège insisted on receiving a transfer fee. After five years of legal battles, the court ultimately ruled in his favor. As a result of this case, hundreds of free agents now appear each year after contracts expire, allowing them to negotiate better salary conditions. “In recent years, China has also contributed to wage growth, trying to lure European football stars with lucrative contracts,” Tokos added. According to him, however, fans are not particularly concerned with the growing gap between their incomes and players’ salaries.

Gap in Slovakia as well
And how would fans of a Slovak club fare in comparison to player salaries? Of course, each region has a different average wage and different salary conditions for footballers. Let’s take, for example, the richest region — Bratislava — and the players of the country’s most famous team, Slovan Bratislava. According to the club’s latest financial statement, its expenses totaled €9.16 million. If only half of that were allocated to salaries for 30 players, their average weekly wage would be just under €3,000. And since, according to the portal numbeo.com, the average net weekly wage in Bratislava is around €230, the footballers earn thirteen times more than the average citizen of the capital.