FA chairman Greg Clarke has defeated Northern Ireland's David Martin to land a $1m role as FIFA vice president.
The 61-year-old won 37 votes to the IFA president's 17 to replace outgoing former Manchester United chief executive David Gill in a ballot at UEFA's Congress in Rome.
It means the Englishman will become one of UEFA's nine European representatives on the FIFA Council - world football's main decision-making body.
Former telecoms executive Clarke will be paid $250,000 a year for the next four years. When asked if he would be taking the salary, Clarke did not hesitate. 'Yes, absolutely,' he said.
'Do I look shy about it? If I compare what I get paid for two days a week at the FA, pro rata, compared to what I used to earn, I'll still be earning a lot less.'
He added: 'I didn't do it for the money and today was the first time I had that number. It will go through pay as you earn and I'll give half of it to the government, which is appropriate.'
Clarke believes his victory is good for the English game.
'It allows English football to be represented on the highest stage,' he said.
'I get to go to the FIFA council and begin the debate on how we grow global football, where tournaments are awarded.
'It's a learning curve for me, I'm looking forward to it, two and a half years into the FA and I'm still learning that job, so I've got to start learning this one, too, so it's going to be educational for me.
'It will be fun, I love football and it's a good chance to learn more and hopefully make use of the knowledge I've acquired.'