Ranking · best markets
The twenty best club markets for a $10M contract
Al Hilal SFC keeps $9,500,000, or 95% of a $10M deal. The worst market, Sacramento Kings, keeps $3,185,000. That is a gap of $6,315,000 for identical contract terms.
The top twenty
| # | Club | League | Market | Keeps | Net on $10M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Hilal SFC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 2 | Al Nassr FC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 3 | Al Ahli Saudi FC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 4 | Al Ittihad Club | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 5 | Al Shabab FC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 6 | Al Fateh SC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 7 | Al Ettifaq FC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 8 | Al Taawoun FC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 9 | Al Fayha FC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 10 | Al Khaleej FC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 11 | Al Qadsiah FC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 12 | Al Kholood Club | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 13 | Damac FC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 14 | Al Riyadh SC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 15 | Al Najma SC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 16 | Neom SC | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 17 | Al Hazem | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 18 | Al Raed | Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | 95% | $9,500,000 |
| 19 | Dallas Cowboys | NFL | Texas | 56.1% | $5,615,000 |
| 20 | Houston Texans | NFL | Texas | 56.1% | $5,615,000 |
Ranked after income tax, agent commission, escrow and the league deductions that apply at a $10M contract size. Every figure is the same one shown on that club's own page.
What the leaders have in common
No personal income tax, in every case. The top of this table is a list of zero-tax jurisdictions dressed as football clubs — Saudi Arabia, then the US states that levy nothing, then the handful of European clubs in countries with a special regime.
The lesson is not that these are better clubs. It is that the same player is worth materially more to a zero-tax club than to a high-tax one, which is a real constraint in contract negotiations.