Die Roten employ the 12 highest earning footballers in the Bundesliga while their overall annual payroll is almost twice that of Borussia Dortmund’s, the club that is second on the list.
Amounting to £227.5m a year it dwarfs the wage-bills of Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Borussia Monchengladbach and Hamburg, despite each of them boasting large fan-bases and European pedigree. Indeed, it is more than the seven most prudent Bundesliga clubs combined.
Yet, highlighting the vast disparity between Bayern and the rest of the German top-flight feels a little redundant, like pointing out the sky is blue, or that Harry Kane is a decent finisher of chances.
Since the Sixties the Bavarian giant has dominated the home front, winning a remarkable 71 domestic honours.
Factor in too the ninth biggest global fan-base, a £5.1 billion club valuation, and an annual revenue exceeding €800m and naturally Bayern can cherry-pick the finest German talent and lure superstars from abroad, all the while paying them handsomely.
Thus their supremacy is extended.
Biggest Earners at Bayern Munich (2025/26):
- Harry Kane - £422,035 per week
- Manuel Neuer - £354,510 per week
- Joshua Kimmich - £337,628 per week
- Serge Gnabry - £318,553 per week
- Jamal Musiala - £318,553 per week
The overriding truth is that while Bayern compete in the footballing sense with their fellow German clubs, from a financial standpoint their main competitors are bigger fish overseas.
It is the threat of Real Madrid or Manchester City poaching their best players, or beating them to a coveted signature, that keeps Bayern honest and paying top dollar in salaries.
Harry Kane
After spending nearly two decades in North London, man and boy, Kane committed to moving abroad in the summer of 2023, enticed by the promise of silverware.
His legendary status at Spurs is forever secured after firing in a club record-breaking tally of 280 goals but the absence of trophies was a constant frustration, almost leading in a big-money switch to Manchester City a year earlier.
Instead it was Bayern who procured the lethal frontman and if they were already perennial favourites in the football betting to win the Bundesliga the signing shortened their odds further.
Two seasons in and Kane has converted 75 league goals in 73 appearances with FC Hollywood.
Manuel Neuer
It’s easy to forget that Neuer began his career at Schalke, making a hefty 156 outings for Die Knappen. That’s because, in the 14 years since, the elite stopper has become as synonymous with Bayern as images of celebrating players pouring beer over each other’s heads in May.
Now a very seasoned 39, the archetypal ‘sweeper-keeper’ – who arguably has never received proper props for excelling at the basics of his craft – may have hung up his gloves for Germany but at club level he remains a prominent presence, even if he no longer starts every game.
When his contract expires at the end of 2025/26 he can expect all manner of garlands and tributes, each thoroughly deserved.
Joshua Kimmich
While Neuer’s shot-stopping has been somewhat downplayed over the years the same applies to Kimmich’s brilliance, with his versatility instead celebrated.
Granted, his ability to effortlessly pivot from full-backing to midfield creation has been a valuable resource for Bayern across the player’s 300-plus appearances but you simply don’t get included in five Bundesliga Team of the Seasons without being a very special talent.
Recent seasons has seen Barcelona and Manchester City circle and it’s no coincidence that these clubs are coached by men who have had Kimmich under their charge. Hansi Flick and Pep Guardiola remain huge fans.
A bumper new deal, however, signed in May 2025, put paid to any mega-money swoop.
Serge Gnabry
It’s been an odd route to the top for Gnabry, his trickery in the final third never fully appreciated at Arsenal and even suffering the indignity of having his ability questioned by Tony Pulis. According to the then West Brom boss, the winger was ‘not at the required level’ to perform for the Baggies when loaned there in 2015.
At that point you would have got long odds in the sports betting on Gnarby being crowned Bayern’s Player of the Season four years on, not to mention starring in a successful Champions League campaign, securing six Bundesliga titles and winning 55 caps for Germany.
Presently the 30-year-old’s future in Bavaria is under discussion, with some reports suggesting the club are only willing to offer reduced terms if he wishes to stay beyond the expiration of his contract in 2026. West Brom have been alerted but alas they cannot afford him.
Jamal Musiala
Musiala is another German international who began his development in England, impressing through Chelsea’s youth system until the age of 16.
At this crucial juncture a decision had to be made, and with the Blues hardly boasting a good track record in bringing through their best young talent Bayern pounced, offering up a better pathway to superstardom.
From making his first team debut aged just 17 ‘Bambi’ – as he is affectionately known among the Allianz Arena faithful – has more than justified the early hype, winning an abundance of trophies and individual accolades.
Interestingly, he receives the highest bonus package at the club, a whopping £5.8m a year if thresholds are reached.
