An Abysmal Gap With Men: The Salary of the Best Female Players

With the passage of time, women's soccer has gained a space on the global sports scene and, although the gap with men's soccer still exists, little by little the feminist struggle has penetrated this social sphere, provoking and demanding many changes.

Recently, the most outstanding soccer players in current days awarded at The Best FIFA Football Awards gala were known, the best 11 were included in an ideal lineup. As a result of this recognition, questions began to arise again about how much women currently earn, at least they, the best female players, versus what a male soccer player earns the most.

For the seventh consecutive time, the French Wendie Renard was included in the ideal eleven of FIFA. According to recent figures, the defender earns 332,118 euros annually.

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One of the most outstanding forwards, according to FIFA, is Alex Morgan, who each year earns a sum of 381,485 euros. It should be remembered that the attacker was the youngest player to win a World Cup in 2011. Without counting salary, Alex is the player with the highest turnover in the world for sponsorships with recognized brands.

The North American midfielder Carli Lloyd, is not in the ideal squad of FIFA, but receives 439,020 euros a year, until 2022 she was the highest female paid soccer player in the world. Another of the players with the highest turnover annually is the European Ada Hegerberg, the first to lift the Ballon d'Or in 2018, who earns close to 396,000 euros a year with the Olympique Lion.

Megan Rapinoe, the renowned player for her talent with her feet, but also for her struggles in women's soccer and the LGTB community, continues to be among those who earn the most money in the year with 417,000 euros with OL Reign in the American league.

It should be remembered that in 2022, led by Rapinoe, the players in the United States reached a historic agreement in which they managed to pay the same salaries to the players of the National Team.

The only Latin American who is in the ranking of those who earn the most money is the Brazilian Marta Vieira da Silva, the all-time top scorer for the Brazilian National Team, who earns 339,069 euros annually.

Currently, the Australian Sam Kerr, with 513,000 euros per year, is the female player who earns the most in the world. The striker was selected by FIFA in the ideal 11 for having already won three league titles, two FA Women's Cups and one Community Shields with Chelsea.

Recently, the Colombian player Linda Caicedo made history by being signed by Real Madrid, where, according to various sources, she can earn between 30,000 and 130,000 euros per year. Also, according to the Goal portal, Caicedo would have already received a bonus for signing with the merengue team of about 250,000 euros.

Without a doubt, salaries in the United States and Europe have become more and more professional, while Latin America continues to be an area where players are trained as soccer players and then consolidate abroad.

And who is the male player who wins the most?

According to Forbes magazine, the Frenchman Kylian Mbappé is the player who currently earns the most, even above the Argentine Lionel Messi and the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, who are the ones who deserve the most with brands and sponsorships. The PSG player earns 55 million euros per season.

The current world champion, Lionel Messi, is in second place and bills 41 million euros/per year with the French team. For his part, Cristiano Ronaldo's new monthly salary amounts to 17 million euros.

Without a doubt, the wage gap in the soccer industry is one of the largest among other work settings. Despite the fact that, little by little, more brands and companies begin to believe in and contribute to women's football, the differences continue to be abysmal and although it is played in the same way, with the same rules, the battle for equality is the only thing that the difference.