26 million euros after tax! The new moon smashed the world's highest salary to win Inzaghi Jr

Written by Han Bing On June 3, 2021, Inzaghi Jr. officially became the coach of Inter Milan; On June 3, 2025, after a two-hour meeting with Inter's top management, the Italian coach who had been thinking all day chose Riyadh Crescent. Saudi giants Bin Nafir travelled to Paris on Monday in the hope of signing Inzaghi Jr. and three superstars within the week. However, B Fei took the lead in refusing to join, and Te'o followed closely behind, and getting Inzaghi Jr. at least relieved the chairman of Riyadh Crescent.

Inzaghi Jr.'s departure from Inter was decided by the high-level talks with the Oaktree Group on Tuesday. The conditions offered by Inter Milan's management were below his expectations in all respects. First, the renewal period is only one year longer than the existing contract until the summer of 2027, and secondly, the annual salary will increase from 6 million euros to only 500,000, which is completely short of the 8 million to 10 million previously rumored in the media. The most lethal is the future team building plan, and the Oaktree Group will not invest in a comprehensive blood exchange. Inter's starting lineup for the new season is basically unchanged, and the main reinforcement comes from the echelon newcomers.

Inzaghi Jr. believes that reaching the Champions League final has earned the club nearly 200 million euros and can make a big difference in the football market. Oaktree executives believe that Inter Milan only lost the final and that winning the Champions League trophy was an achievable goal, and even questioned Inzaghi Jr.'s coaching performance in the Champions League final. The two parties are like a "marriage" without trust and affection, which cannot be maintained. Inzaghi Jr. is tired of being used as a scapegoat for not winning trophies by the club, which is why he chose to coach Riyadh Crescent.

Inzaghi Jr.'s "reversal of life" has completed a perfect closed loop after 4 years. Four years ago, on June 2, Lazio president Lotito waited for his signing with a contract extension. Inzaghi Jr. said that after receiving a call from Inter Milan to postpone his signing, he signed with the Nerazzurri the next day, who were offering a higher price. This time was no exception, and he said that he would make a decision after negotiating with Inter's top management on Tuesday to plan for the new season, showing that a contract extension is not out of the question. But after two hours of talks, Inzaghi Jr. decisively chose to leave.

Inzaghi Jr. said he left because of "physical and mental exhaustion", stressing that he gave his best but could not lead the team to continue to improve. In his four years in charge of Inter, he won 1 Serie A title, 2 Coppa Italia titles, and 3 Serie Super Cups. Inter have the highest win rate of any coach who has played more than 40 games in the club's history (65 per cent), ahead of Antonio Conte (62.7 per cent) and Jose Mourinho (62 per cent). But two Champions League finals, especially this one, completely disappointed him. With the departure of Inzaghi Jr., Inter will also start selecting a coach immediately. Como's Fabregas was the first choice, with Marseille's De Zerbi second, but both were difficult.

The Riyadh crescent was naturally overjoyed, and Inzaghi Jr.'s appointment was in full swing: signing on Wednesday, followed by a flight to Riyadh to meet with fans and hold a press conference. He then flew with his new squad to Miami, USA, to prepare for the Club World Cup, where he trained with Washington, D.C. United and SC Nashville. Inzaghi Jr. is also tasked with convincing at least one star to go with Saudi Arabia, with Milan's Te'o being the first choice, followed by Atalanta's Brazilian midfielder Ederson and even his Inter favourites Calhanoglu, Bastoni or Dimarco.

Inzaghi Jr. has a three-year contract in Riyadh Crescent, and Romano reports an annual salary of 26 million euros after tax, plus bonuses of up to 30 million euros, he is the third Italian coach to receive the world's highest salary in recent years after Lippi and Mancini. Ahead of Pep Guardiola (13 million, Manchester City), Stefano Pioli (12 million, Riyadh Victory), Yasler (11.5 million, Jeddah National), Blank (10 million, Jeddah United), Arteta (10 million, Arsenal), Jose Mourinho (8.4 million, Fenerbahce), David Moyes (8.25 million, Everton), Simeone (7.8 million, Atletico Madrid), Carlo Ancelotti (7.25 million, Brazil), Enrique (6.6 million, Grand Paris), Alonso (6.5 million, Real Madrid) , Unai Emery (5.5 million, Aston Villa), Slot (4.5 million, Liverpool) and Amorim (4.3 million, Manchester United).

Inzaghi Jr.'s first priority in charge of Riyadh Crescent is the Club World Cup, which is in the same group as Real Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Pachuca. It is worth mentioning that the first match against Real Madrid on June 18 will be his double revenge. In February 2023, Riyadh Crescent lost 3-5 to Real Madrid in the final of the Club World Cup, and this time it was a battle for revenge. When new Real Madrid boss Marcos Alonso was in charge of Bayer Leverkusen last season, he also beat Inzaghi Jr.'s Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League last December, and that was Inter's only defeat before the final.

Italian football has lost some of its most successful coaches in recent years, and the arrival of Inzaghi Jr. has pushed Saudi football to version 2.0 of the "big buy" of big-name coaches and stars in Europe and the United States.