“Worth every cent”: Will Harry Kane really earn more than €31 million a year at Bayern Munich in future? An assessment

Harry Kane is said to have secured the best deal in Bayern Munich’s history and to now be Europe’s highest-paid player. But how much is his salary actually expected to be in future? How estimates of professional footballers’ staggering salaries are arrived at.

Harry Kane is said to have become Europe's highest-paid player by base salary after extending his Bayern Munich contract until 2029. The club's record signing (€95 million transfer fee paid to Tottenham Hotspur in 2023) is also said to have agreed the biggest deal in Bayern Munich's history.

David Ornstein of The Athletic, a reporter known for his strong connections rather than sensationalism, reports the deal. The similarly respected kicker says Kane is set to receive an "exorbitantly high annual salary" from the German record champions.

At a press conference, Bayern Munich CEO Hans-Christian Dreesen said the club had had to "stretch" financially to secure the extension, though not "stretch to the ceiling". "For us, this is naturally a big contract for a big player. It is appropriate," Dreesen said. Kane had "shown over the last three years that he was worth every cent, and that is how we see it going forward too."

How high is Kane's annual salary, then, and how much are Bayern Munich said to be paying the 33-year-old Ballon d'Or winner? Is it around "€30 million", as kicker speculates? Or even a little more? Bayern Munich, like almost all football clubs, do not disclose players' salaries, but the available figures offer a way to estimate it.

Former Dortmund player Erling Haaland has until now been regarded as Europe's highest-paid player. Capology puts the Manchester City striker's weekly base salary at £525,000, or €621,000, following his huge nine-year contract extension in 2025, taking him through to 2034. Per week! Over a year, that would amount to £27.3 million, or €32.2 million.

Capology is an online database that, by its own account, lists footballers' salaries worldwide using media reports, inside information and official announcements. It is the most comprehensive global site for comparing footballers' salaries, though its figures do not necessarily reflect reality. Capology says its customer samples for salary estimates generally fall within 15 per cent of the actual figure.

English media reports point to similar figures. The Sun, often well-informed but also prone to sensationalism, put Haaland's weekly base salary, excluding bonuses, at £525,000. The reputable and normally well-informed newspapers The Guardian and The Times were a little more cautious, reporting a weekly gross base salary of around £500,000. On that estimate, Haaland's annual base salary would be £26 million, or €31.17 million.

Another figure supports that estimate: according to the Sunday Times Tax List, which lists celebrities' tax payments each year, Haaland was among England's biggest taxpayers last year, with a total tax bill of £17 million (€20.38 million). Alongside income tax, the list accounts for taxes on dividends, capital gains and corporations.

The Sunday Times Tax List also relies on estimates. English journalist Robert Watts has compiled it for years, and it is regarded as highly as the Forbes list of the world's richest people. News outlets across England regularly pick it up. Watts likewise uses an annual base salary of £26 million (€31.17 million) for Haaland.

Does Kane now earn more than a guaranteed €31 million at Bayern Munich?

That is hard to imagine, given the sheer size of the sum.

Even so, it looks like peanuts beside what the world's highest-paid player is said to earn: Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly receives a base salary of €208 million at Al-Nassr. Saudi petrodollars operate on another scale.

For Kane, Sky transfer expert Florian Plettenberg offers a more cautious figure, writing of "at least €25 million" in future.

That would not be much more than Kane currently earns. Reports have consistently put his base salary at €25 million until now.

A hefty pay rise looks more plausible when bonuses enter the picture: Kane was not even Bayern Munich's top earner overall. That is said to have been Jamal Musiala following his contract extension in February 2025, at least when bonuses are included. According to those figures, Musiala has since earned an annual base salary of €22.5 million, less than Kane has until now.

With bonuses, Musiala is said most recently to have earned €35.2 million. According to Capology, only Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Haaland and Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) are said to have earned more than Musiala in Europe. Musiala has until now ranked seventh worldwide. Kane, meanwhile, is said by Capology to have earned €31.2 million, which would make him the world's 12th-most-expensive player.

If any player deserves to be Bayern Munich's top earner, it is Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane.

Bayern Munich nevertheless appear caught in a wage spiral, despite wanting for years to cut their wage bill. Sporting director Max Eberl has previously faced criticism from the supervisory board over this, while doubts long surrounded his contract extension, partly because of his alleged (or perceived) weakness in negotiations.

A Ballon d'Or winner like Kane has a case for a pay rise. At the press conference, Dreesen said attention on Bayern Munich had increased "to an incredible degree" around Kane's Ballon d'Or win. That also helps in talks with sponsors and potential partners.

Yet Kane is 33, and Bayern have already granted his wish for a contract extension of more than one year. Players over 30 normally receive only one-year extensions. Older players, like very young ones, also tend to receive contracts more closely linked to performance, with higher but attainable bonus payments.

Should Kane really earn more than €31 million, how much could Michael Olise demand in contract extension talks that may come soon? Olise can be rated similarly highly to Kane in sporting terms, and all the top clubs are watching him closely. Yet Capology puts his current base salary at a comparatively modest €13.5 million. Another record contract may not be far away.

Source: Capology