REVEALED: Just THREE Juventus players earn less than their new manager Andrea Pirlo’s wages of £1.6m a year… and Cristiano Ronaldo earns over £20m MORE than second-highest star
- Reports in Italy reveal the huge costs saved by Juventus with Andrea Pirlo
- The new, inexperienced manager is on minor wages after signing a two-year deal
- Only three players in the Juve squad earn either the same or lower than Pirlo
- The manager’s £1.6m salary is dwarfed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s £28m pay packet
New Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo has saved Juventus millions in taking to the helm this summer, after it was revealed in Italy the minor wages he has accepted in his new role.
While top European teams often see their managers on financial parity with the star players of the club, Pirlo has reportedly signed off on a contract which sees just three Juventus stars taking home less money than him annually.
Juve shocked the football world this week, after unveiling Pirlo as replacement for the sacked Maurizio Sarri – despite him never before having managed a team.
Andrea Pirlo will earn more than just three of his Juventus players after becoming manager
Now, Gazzetta dello sport in Italy have published the figures earned within the Juve ranks, showing Pirlo to be in line to receive £1.6-per-year.
While this is a lot of money, it pales into insignificance when compared to some of the eye-watering pay packets taken home by some players.
Talisman Cristiano Ronaldo is seen to bank an astronomical annual wage of £28m with the Italian giants, seeing him as one of the best paid athletes on the planet.
Cristiano Ronaldo takes home an astronomical £28m in yearly wages from Juventus
Last summer’s marquee signing Matthijs de Ligt is second top earner, but some £20m behind
Ronaldo earns so much more than his fellow team-mate’s that the second highest paid within the squad – Matthijs de Ligt – takes home over £20m less than the Portuguese superstar.
De Ligt was last summer’s marquee signing for Juve, who fought off a series of Europe’s top sides in order to acquire his services.
Yet despite Juve offering the most lucrative salary to De Ligt, his earnings don’t come close to that of Ronaldo’s category.
Former Arsenal man Aaron Ramsey takes home £6.3m, while Paulo Dybala earns a fraction more on £6.5m.
Down at the lower end of the scale, Pirlo finds himself earning more than only Carlo Pinsoglio, Merih Demiral and Gianluigi Buffon – the latter of which agreed vastly reduced wages with Juve in order to return for the final years of his career.
Pirlo’s appointment came just nine days after the club had actually initially employed him – taking him on board as coach of the Under-23 side.
It was to be Pirlo’s first foray into management, though the situation changed rapidly following Sarri’s dismissal.
Juve were heavily tipped to approach former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, while also keeping Zinedine Zidane firmly in their sights.
Club president Andrea Agnelli however opted to go for Pirlo, with the pair having good working relationships from the new manager’s time as a player in Turin.
Pirlo is expected to receive plenty of guidance from the board during his first season in charge, and will be advised on transfer matters rather than making the final call.
As recently reported, however, Pirlo is hopeful of securing a sensational return to Turin for fans favourite Alvaro Morata.
Despite his importance to the side, Paulo Dybala pockets £6.5m on his current deal in Turin
Former Arsenal man Aaron Ramsey pockets £6.3m, though looks poised to leave the club
Pirlo is looking to incorporate a traditional striker into his side as a long-term replacement for Gonzalo Higuain and Morata fits the bill, according to SportItalia.
Pirlo and Morata played alongside each other during Juventus’ double-winning 2014-15 campaign, where they finished runners-up to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Morata left a good impression on Pirlo before he left for the MLS in 2015, where he finished his trophy-laden playing career with New York City FC.