Atlético Madrid's Diego Simeone Disappoints After Becoming Highest Paid Manager in Europe
Atlético Madrid's defeat to Athletic Club yesterday adds salt into the wounds for the Rojiblancos going into the international break. Should Barcelona win against Real Betis today, they will have a 10-point lead over Atlético with just 10 league games remaining.
Simeone became the highest paid manager in the world last month, with a contract that would see him earn €3.3 million a month, the same as Antoine Griezmann's new contract from last year.
Previously, Simeone earned the third-highest coaching wage in the world, behind Manchester United's José Mourinho and China's Marcello Lippi. Both men left their managerial positions this past winter.
Those numbers dwarf rival managers in Europe's top 5 leagues. Manchester City's Pep Guardiola comes the closest, with the Catalan making €1.9 million a month.
Guardiola’s City are top of the Premier League, with a 1 point lead over Liverpool. They’ve won the Carabao Cup, defeating Chelsea in last month's final. They’re in the FA Cup semifinals after defeating Swansea City. They’ll face Spurs in the Champions League quarterfinals on April 9. They have a chance to win a historic quadruple.
Unsurprisingly, the highest paid coach in Italy is Juventus' Massimiliano Allegri, taking home €1.14 million a month. Juve were eliminated from the Coppa Italia by Atalanta in January, but they will face Ajax in the Champions League quarterfinals after performing an extraordinary remontada against Atlético Madrid, and they maintain an 18-point lead at the top of Serie A over Napoli.
In Bavaria, as Bayern Munich look to win their 7th straight league title, Die Roten's Niko Kovač enjoys the highest wage in Germany (€580,000 per month). Kovač’s Bayern are out of the Champions League after losing to Liverpool at the Allianz Arena this week, but they will play Heidenheim in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinals, and if they defeat Mainz today, they will go into the international break on top of the table due to goal differential.
Thomas Tuchel’s PSG have sealed the league, with a 17-point lead over Lille despite having two games in hand. They’ve been eliminated from the Champions League by Manchester United and the Coupe de la Ligue by Guingamp, but they will face Nantes in the Coupe de France semifinals. It's likely PSG will win the domestic double this season, but PSG will surely feel hard done by after blowing a 2-0 lead to United.
Simeone is the highest paid manager in Europe with an annual wage of €39.6 million. Yet ironically, he’s the only manager on the list whose team are more or less out of every competition. After losing to Juventus in the Champions League this week, it adds to a season of misery: they were eliminated by Girona in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 in January.
Atlético Madrid gave Simeone an unparalleled salary last month, but so far, he's failing to give them their money's worth.