The announcement of the European Super League has shaken the footballing world to its core and prompted a tirade vociferous criticism from fans, pundits and politicians alike. 

In a footballing world in which supporters are becoming increasingly disenfranchised from footballing institutions that once represented pillars of local communities, the announcement on Sunday that 12 European clubs are set to form a breakaway Super League may well have marked the end of football as we know it. 

An anti-football war has begun. 

For the clubs involved in the proposed new league, their reputations may never fully recover - even if the announcement is merely a vehicle for the clubs involved to establish greater power in the existing domestic and European competitions.

The new competition's announcement revealed the identity of the twelve teams involved, which includes all of the Premier League's established 'Big Six' clubs. 

"AC Milan, Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as founding clubs.

"It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable."

Financial growth is clearly the priority for these clubs.

According to football business expert Swiss Ramble, who has amassed 165k followers on Twitter for his meticulous attention to detail and inside knowledge on finance in football, the 12 clubs are in £7.4 billion worth of debt combined. 

It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots and see the motivation behind the deeply unpopular proposal.

The acceleration of player salaries has been one of the most extreme knock-on effects of the influx of billionaire investment in recent years, and the 12 Super League clubs spend more than most to attract some of the world's most talented footballers. 

But which outfit currently has the biggest wage bill of all the clubs involved in this new, unprecedented project? 

Using data acquired from Salary Sport, GIVEMESPORT have ranked the clubs based on the size of their outlay on player wages. 

Take a look in ascending order below: 

12. AC Milan: £85.7m 

11. Inter Milan: £125.47m 

10. Arsenal: £136.1m 

9. Tottenham Hotspur: £137.2m 

8. Liverpool: £139.3m

7. Manchester City: £147m

6. Atletico Madrid: £153m

5. Chelsea: £163.1m 

4. Juventus: £184.8m

3. Manchester United £188.2m

2. Real Madrid: £231.7m

1. Barcelona £238.5m

A large proportion of Barcelona's yearly outlay goes towards Lionel Messi, who pockets £52m per year.

Despite those astronomical figures, though, the Catalonian giants haven't reached a Champions League final since they last won the competition in 2015.