England's women's football team have done it and have won the Euros 2022. The lionesses beat Germany 2-1 in extra time after a late Chloe Kelly goal.
New heroines have been created, and they are inspiring the nation. A full house of 90,000 watched on at Wembley, with millions more watching on TV.
And many viewers were wondering just how much the top players on show actually get paid. Well, although things are moving in the right direction there is still a large disparity between men and women.
Read more: Jubilant scenes in Newcastle as England win UEFA Women's Euros 2022
The Women's Super League, English football's top competition, is one of the most competitive and professional in world football, and features an abundance of talent, from Sam Kerr to Vivianne Miedema. However, the salary in the WSL can be as low as £20,000 per year in some cases. The average yearly salary in the WSL is said to be £30,000, Wales Online reports.
Some players are even being reportedly 'priced out' of playing professional football, due to the low starting wage and lack of opportunities. There are other players however, who have been offered in excess of £300,000 per year, so there are drastic differences in wages.
With regard to national team salaries, times are changing and numerous national sides pay their men's and women's teams equally. These sides include England, Brazil, Australia and Norway. England earn roughly £2,000 per match.
It has been reported that if England win this summer’s Euro tournament then they will receive the ‘most generous bonus in the FA’s history', with each player getting £55,000, according to the Telegraph.
It has been reported by SportBible that the highest paid female footballer was the USA's Carli Lloyd, who earned over £432,000 per year before her retirement in August 2021. Australian Sam Kerr is now said to be the top earner in the women's game, earning over £400,000 a year.
This is clearly still very low when compared to male footballers. Gareth Bale was reportedly paid up to £600,000 a week at Real Madrid, while six-figure weekly wages are common place among the elite men's players. The highest paid male footballer according to Forbes, is Lionel Messi, who earns £62 million per year before endorsements.
888Sport compiled a list of the highest paid players, Lloyd tops the list, despite her retirement last year.
Highest-paid women's footballers
- Carli Lloyd (now retired): £432,000 ($518,000)
- Sam Kerr: £417,000 ($500,000)
- Alex Morgan: £375,000 ($450,000)
- Megan Rapinoe: £373,000 ($447,000)
- Julie Ertz: £359,000 ($430,000)
- Ada Hegerberg: £355,000 ($425,000)
- Marta: £334,000 ($400,000)
Five of those players ply their trade in the National Women's Soccer League in the US. In the UK, the Women's Super League only went fully professional in 2018, and after such an impressive increase in viewing figures in recent years, there is great scope for more wage increases in the UK in years to come.
With the recent success of the Euro 2022 competition, it only adds to the notion that the women's game is making rapid gains in the footballing world.
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