- Max Kruse talks openly about his salary as a professional footballer in his podcast.
- He started his career with 1250 euros per month at Werder Bremen Amateurs.
- He later earned up to 300,000 euros per month at top clubs.
- There were also high bonuses, around 60,000 euros for a win.
Max Kruse played 14 times for the German national team. The now 37-year-old scored four goals in the DFB team jersey. In total, the attacker played over 300 Bundesliga games and also scored in the Champions League.
Today Kruse plays for fun at an amateur club, works as an RTL football expert and runs the podcast “Flatterball” together with ex-professional Martin Harnik. There the former striker spoke about an often taboo topic: money. Kruse: “I forget a lot of things from my past, especially from the last 15 years. But when it comes to money, I still know relatively exactly what I earned.”
Starts at 1250 euros per month
Then he gets started – and gives concrete figures: In 2006, with the Werder Bremen amateur team, he earned 1,250 euros a month. A year later, with his first professional contract, it was already 6,000 euros. In 2009 he moved to St. Pauli: in the 2nd Bundesliga there was 18,000 euros, after promotion around 6,000 euros more.
His salary rose continuously: Freiburg in 2012/13 meant 30,000 euros per month. With the move to Gladbach it was already 100,000 euros. Things went so well there that he earned a quarter of a million per month at his next stops – Wolfsburg and later Werder Bremen.
Highest value in Turkey
He had his foreign adventure at Fenerbahce rewarded with 300,000 euros a month – net. Back in the Bundesliga, Kruse had to go down to 125,000 euros at Union Berlin, but his subsequent move back to Wolfsburg brought him back to 300,000 euros.
The end of his career came in Paderborn: There he earned “only” 30,000 euros per month. Kruse himself ironically: “From 300 to 30 – what happened to me?” After five months and only five missions it was over.
What do you think about the high salaries in professional football?
But Kruse not only talked about his basic salary, but also about lavish bonuses. Victories would have been particularly worthwhile at Wolfsburg:
“The point bonus was 20,000. If we win, another 60,000 extra,” Kruse revealed – not a bad wage either.
Sven Forster (fss) has been working for 20 minutes since 2018. He has been working as a leaf maker since the beginning of 2024. He has also headed the sports department since September 2024.
