Lionesses captain Leah Williamson says she doesn’t earn enough to retire and is studying to become an accountant as a back-up plan, while the men’s team could receive a £14m bonus for winning the Euros

Lionesses captain Leah Williamson has revealed she is not earning enough to retire from her football career.

The Milton Keynes-born midfielder, who plays for Arsenal, has continued her accounting studies in case she needs something to “fall back on”.

Williamson captained the women’s team that won the European Championship in 2022, triumphing over Germany, and was later awarded an OBE by Prince William at Windsor Castle.

But despite her extraordinary success and her hard work in promoting women’s football, Williamson does not earn as much as you might think – and certainly not anywhere near what her male counterparts in Gareth Southgate’s Euro squad are earning.

In a new interview with The Sunday TimesShe said: ‘There are some elements of women’s football that need catching up.

The Milton Keynes-born midfielder, who plays for Arsenal, has continued her accounting studies in case she needs something to fall back on. Pictured at the Gucci fashion show in London in May

‘I’m not earning enough to retire after my playing career, so I’m still aiming to complete my accounting studies in case I need something to fall back on.

“Women’s football still has some growing to do, but when I play for Arsenal we get crowds of 35,000, more than some of the men’s teams in the Premier League. Am I bitter? It makes no sense.”

Although individual player salaries are not disclosed, Williamson is believed to earn around £200,000 a year for Arsenal and has sponsors including Gucci, Nike and Pepsi.

England captain Harry Kane, by contrast, earns around £400,000 a week at Bayern Munich – £21.5m a year, according to Sky Germany.

Since January 2020, England senior men and women players receive the same match fees and bonuses.

England players are believed to earn around £2,000 per game, but have been donating that money to charity since 2007.

But sponsorship rates and club salaries still differ hugely between men’s and women’s teams, despite much progress being made.

Meanwhile, men’s captain Harry Kane is earning a whopping £21.5m at Bayern Munich after leaving Tottenham Hotspur. Pictured at yesterday’s Euro 2019 match

England’s players will reportedly share a £14m bonus if they win the Euros this year. Pictured: John Stones and Harry Kane

Goalkeeper Mary Earps, who has now left Manchester United, is estimated to earn £250,000 a year.

That seems like a pittance compared to the £5.2m that Gareth Southgate’s number one Jordan Pickford pocketed at Everton.

Williamson, 27, previously told him Sky sports that most athletes need backup races “in case something goes wrong.”

And after surgery last year forced her to take a break from her professional sports career, she invested in Toca Football in her first business venture, hoping it would prove useful for her post-football career.

Branding and PR expert Nick Ede previously told MailOnline during last year’s World Cup: ‘The men are making millions from sponsorships and are still huge stars with huge social media followings too.

‘The Lionesses will not receive the same remuneration as their male counterparts, which is totally wrong as they are superstars.

‘I think this has to do with the perceived brand value of male players, who are so prevalent during the season that they have built such massive fan bases.

‘There should be equal pay for male and female players on and off the pitch, and hopefully with the success of the Lionesses this year, the gap will close much quicker than it would have before.’

But after signing deals with brands including Adidas, Beats and luxury label Oakley, striker Alessia Russo is set to become the first Women’s Super League player to earn more than £1m a year, according to the Athletic, raising hopes of a more equal future.

The total value of England’s 26-man Euro 2019 squad is estimated to be more than £1.2bn, the most valuable of any team in the entire tournament.

Lionesses and Arsenal captain Leah Williamson poses with her OBE in October 2023

Prince of Wales bestows Williamson with honour recognising his services to association football

The players will reportedly receive a massive £14million payout if they overcome 58 years of injury and win the European Championship this summer.

According SunThe three Lions players will be eligible for a share of a £14m bonus if they are the ones to lift the Henri Delaunay on July 14.

The players have reportedly negotiated a share of the £24m prize money the FA will pocket for victory, with captain Harry Kane and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham set to share a £9.6m prize.

According to the report, Southgate will be the biggest monetary beneficiary of the win, receiving a £4m bonus, while assistant Steve Holland has also been promised an unspecified sum.

That leaves around £14m for the remaining 24 players in Southgate’s squad, a record sum.

Williamson, who has won six major trophies with Arsenal, was prevented from joining the Lionesses in their World Cup bid last summer after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

He returned to Arsenal in January before making his first appearance for England against the Republic of Ireland in April.

He signed a new contract with Arsenal in May after a nine-month absence due to injury.

England lift the Euro trophy during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 final match between England and Germany at Wembley Stadium

Leah Williamson and England manager Sarina Wiegman on stage during a fan celebration to mark England’s historic UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 triumph

Williamson, who joined Arsenal at the age of eight, has made 232 appearances for the club, winning six trophies in the process.

“Everyone knows what Arsenal means to me, but I think every time I sign a new contract, I feel that love rekindled,” Williamson said at the time.

“I’m very happy to be staying here. This is a place where I can continue to grow, develop and be challenged. As a group, we are all very focused on bringing more trophies to this club and I can’t wait to get started again when the new season comes around.”

Williamson is preparing to release a children’s book with his cousin Jordan Glover, called The Wonder Team and the Pharaoh’s Fortune.

The Lionesses were at odds with governing body the FA last year after they were told they would not receive World Cup bonuses on top of their FIFA payments.

A deal was finally reached in September: each member of the World Cup squad will receive around £150,000 for reaching the final, after FIFA introduced a new pay structure that compensates players directly. Previously, it was up to individual federations to decide whether to distribute prize money to players.

England player Millie Bright said: ‘We’ve reached an agreement but I think it’s bigger than just the bonus.

“We had a very good conversation with the FA and we expressed that we want to be world leaders, both on and off the pitch. We had a very positive conversation and I think that conversation was necessary.

‘Talks will continue in the future between the management team and the FA, with the support of the PFA, and we are very confident that in the future things will be different. But overall it was very, very good.

“As we know, women’s football is evolving very quickly and conversations like this need to happen to ensure that in all areas we are at the top of our game.”