Top 10 Highest Paid Female Soccer Players in 2022
Women’s football is still on the rise, and we get to see different aspiring talents every day. And while it might not be as perfect as male football, we all understand that popular idiom that says “Rome was not built in a day”. Although it might seem to be far off when compared to male football, it is still constantly growing.
This difference is one of the reasons female footballers’ earnings can’t be compared to their male counterparts. Factors affecting the wages of female footballers are understood to be fame, the talent of a player, and the rise of women’s football itself as a whole. The amount of spectators you can find in the stands in women’s football is way too low when compared to their other counterpart, this also played a major role in the wages received by the female footballers.
The highest salary being paid to female players in the National Women’s Soccer League was reported to be $50,000 per year while the minimum was reported as $20,000 per year. It varies with every country.
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A Step Forward
A big step forward is that after several protests, Australia, Norway, New Zealand and Brazil are now giving the female players in their national team equal pay as the male national team. This means that the female footballers representing those countries will receive the same pay as their male counterpart. Although this does not apply to the football clubs in those countries, it can still be counted as a big step forward.
Highest-Paid Female Soccer Players in 2022
In this article, we will be discussing the real reason you clicked on this article in the first place which is “who are the highest-paid female soccer players currently?” Below is the list of talented and prolific female footballers.
Christine Sinclair
Christine Margaret Sinclair is the 37-year-old skipper of the Canadian national team while also playing for Portland Thorns FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She is the all-time leader of international goals for male and female players with 186 goals scored throughout her 296 international football caps, and that is amazing.
In addition to that, during her amazing football career, which is still ongoing, she was able to win the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award 14 times. She has previously played for FC Gold Pride and Western New York Flash in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS).
Christine Sinclair currently earns $380,000 per year, placing her 10th on the list of highest paid female soccer players in the world. With her immense talent and impressive skills, she is one of the greatest players in her generation. A CONCACAF champion and two-time Olympic bronze medalist.
Wendie Renard
Wendie Renard is one of the most decorated players in the entire women’s club football. Dedicating her entire football career to French club Lyon who is regarded as the most successful club in European Women’s football.
Playing as a top-notch defender for the French club, she was immensely skilled in finding the back of the net as she was able to register 116 goals in 370 appearances in all competitions for the club. With an annual salary of $392,000, she comes out in the ninth position for this list.
She has won several French league titles, Cup titles and Women Champions League titles. Regardless of her pay, she will still go down as one of the best players in her position.
Amandine Henry
With a salary of $394,500 per year, Amandine Henry is placed eighth on the list of highest paid female soccer players in 2022. Playing as a terrifying defensive midfielder, she is as solid as a rock for the same Lyon Renard plays for.
She came out as the Silver Ball winner of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She has played for Henin-Beaumont, CNFE Clairefontaine, Portland Thorns FC and PSG in her career. She has lifted league and cup titles with Portland Thorns FC and Lyon throughout her football career.
Marta
Coming out seventh on this list is the Brazilian Marta. She is regarded as the greatest female footballer of all time, and she currently only earns $400,000 a year as she plays for the Orlando Pride in the NWSL as well as for Brazil national team.
At the age of 34, she constantly drops impressive performance as she was named FIFA World Player of the Year six times. She was also pivotal for the Brazil national team that won the silver medal at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Ada Hegerberg
Ada Hegerberg was the highest paid female soccer players in 2019, but this year she sits at the sixth position. She currently plays for Olympique Lyonnais, having several trophies on her belt, and Norway’s national team.
Earning $425,000 per year, the salary is owed to her several sponsorship deals. Her recent contract is with famous brand Nike which is said to be worth up to $1.13 million a year. This contract also made one of Nike’s most high-profile athletes.
Julie Ertz
Julie Ertz is an American soccer player that plies her trade with the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and for the United States Women’s national soccer team. She sits at the fifth position for the highest paid female soccer players with earnings of $430,000 per year.
She is one of the most consistent female footballers in the game, having helped her country win the FIFA Women’s World Cup twice. This resulted in her being named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year back in 2019.
Megan Rapinoe
Megan Rapinoe places fourth on the list of the highest paid female footballer in 2022. You’ve probably heard of Megan’s name even if you don’t watch Women’s football, but her name was cemented in many football fans’ heart after helping United States win the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She currently earns $447,000 per year. Her outstanding performance for the U.S. in the World Cup earned her the Ballon d’Or Feminin award and The Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019. She is a highly talented player, and she is also a known pioneer for change at the highest level of women’s soccer.
Alex Morgan
The third spot belongs to one of the most famous female footballers, Alex Morgan. With $450,000 per year, she comes out third on the list of the highest paid female soccer players in 2022. Playing as a striker, she plays in the National Women’s Soccer League for Orlando Pride Football Club.
The majority of her income is owed to her major endorsement deals from top brands like Nike, McDonalds, Coca Cola, Bank of America, Panasonic and Chapstick. In 2015, she was one of the first women soccer players to be used as the cover for FIFA soccer video games, and it was repeated in 2016 when she appeared alongside Lionel Messi on the 2016 FIFA video games. With her numerous deals, she is considered the most commercial player in the game of soccer.
Sam Kerr
Taking the second spot for the highest paid female soccer players is Australian forward Sam Kerr. An Astonishing striker, Sam Kerr is known as one of the most dangerous forward currently across the world. She is prolific captain of the Australia Women’s national soccer team.
The report has it that her current contract with Chelsea sees her earn $410,000 but her base pay is $500,000 a year. She is the all-time leading goal scorer in the NSWL and the Australian W-League as of 2020.
Carli Lloyd
Standing at the very top of highest paid female footballers list in 2022 is prolific American midfielder Carli Lloyd, who plays for Sky Blue FC. She is not only known for her prolific acts at the club level but she is also known for her incredible record for the United States national team, scoring 123 goals in 294 international games for the senior team.
Carli currently earns around $518,000. She is one of the most successful female footballers across the world having won the Olympic gold medal twice (2008 and 2012), FIFA Women’s World Cup twice (2015 and 2019), and also a two-time winner of FIFA Player of the Year. Even at the age of 38, the American midfielder is an inspiration for young girls across the world.
With this, the list of the highest paid female soccer players comes to an end. But keep in touch as this page will be updated frequently to keep up with the changes in Women’s Football.