Football’s Highest-Paid Stars - Who Are Europe’s Weekly Wage Kings

La Liga moves ahead of the Premier League in European football’s salary rankings

The Premier League remains the most financially powerful domestic competition in world football, but England’s top flight has been overtaken by La Liga in one important ranking. The ten highest-paid players in Spain earn more on average than their counterparts in England.

Vinícius Júnior’s new contract has played a major part in putting La Liga at the top. The Brazilian could have become the second-highest-paid player in the Premier League if a move to Arsenal had materialised. Instead, he remained in Spain and now earns the same guaranteed weekly salary as Kylian Mbappé.

The figures are based on estimates published by Capology and cover the ten highest earners in La Liga, the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A. Salaries are presented as weekly amounts in pounds sterling, with figures from leagues outside England converted accordingly.

Real Madrid drives La Liga to the top

Spanish clubs may not possess the same collective financial strength as their Premier League counterparts, but the salaries offered to the country’s biggest stars have taken La Liga to the top of the table. Real Madrid alone has six players among the division’s ten highest earners.

Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior lead the ranking, with each receiving an estimated guaranteed salary of £513,000 per week. Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak completes the top three on £342,000.

Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid – £513,000

Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid – £513,000

Jan Oblak, Atlético Madrid – £342,000

Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid – £342,000

Lamine Yamal, Barcelona – £342,000

Nico Williams, Athletic Bilbao – £282,000

Ibrahima Konaté, Real Madrid – £274,000

Raphinha, Barcelona – £274,000

Rodrygo, Real Madrid – £274,000

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid – £274,000

The average weekly salary of La Liga’s ten highest-paid players stands at £343,000.

According to Capology’s estimates, Vinícius Júnior’s new agreement has placed his guaranteed weekly earnings on the same level as Mbappé’s. The difference between the two players comes from bonuses, with the French international receiving a considerably more lucrative package.

Oblak’s position also stands out. Atlético Madrid are paying the Slovenian goalkeeper more than the highest earners at four of the Premier League’s traditional Big Six clubs.

Ibrahima Konaté’s place among La Liga’s financial elite also represents a major success for his agent, who managed to secure an extremely lucrative agreement for the French defender at Real Madrid.

Erling Haaland leads the way in the Premier League

The Premier League occupies second place, with its ten highest earners receiving an average of £321,000 per week. Erling Haaland sits comfortably at the top and is the only player in the competition to earn more than half a million pounds every week.

The Manchester City striker collects an estimated £525,000 per week. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is second on £350,000, while Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka each earn £300,000.

Erling Haaland, Manchester City – £525,000

Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool – £350,000

Marcus Rashford, Manchester United – £300,000

Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United – £300,000

Jack Grealish, Manchester City – £300,000

Bukayo Saka, Arsenal – £300,000

Omar Marmoush, Manchester City – £295,000

Alexander Isak, Liverpool – £280,000

Phil Foden, Manchester City – £280,000

Kai Havertz, Arsenal – £280,000

The average weekly salary of the Premier League’s ten highest-paid players is £321,000.

Several names in this ranking have not always delivered performances matching the size of their contracts. Marcus Rashford provides the clearest example. Manchester United have been forced to rebuild their relationship with the forward because no other club appeared willing to match his salary.

The Red Devils remain obliged to honour the contract of a player who has not represented them since 2024. Rashford is one of three footballers in the top ten who could leave their respective clubs this summer.

Haaland enjoys the greatest contractual security of them all. The Norwegian has “only” EIGHT years remaining on his Manchester City deal after signing an exceptionally long-term agreement.

Bayern Munich dominates the Bundesliga salary chart

Germany’s ranking underlines the enormous financial gap between Bayern Munich and the rest of the Bundesliga. All ten places are occupied by players from the Bavarian club, with Harry Kane sitting at the top.

The England captain earns approximately £411,000 per week. Jamal Musiala follows on £375,000, with Joshua Kimmich completing the top three on £329,000.

Harry Kane, Bayern Munich – £411,000

Jamal Musiala, Bayern Munich – £375,000

Joshua Kimmich, Bayern Munich – £329,000

Dayot Upamecano, Bayern Munich – £263,000

Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich – £248,000

Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich – £246,000

Luis Díaz, Bayern Munich – £230,000

Michael Olise, Bayern Munich – £222,000

Serge Gnabry, Bayern Munich – £214,000

Kim Min-jae, Bayern Munich – £197,000

The average weekly salary of the Bundesliga’s ten highest-paid players reaches £273,500.

The first player employed by a club other than Bayern appears only in 13th place in the overall German ranking. At Borussia Dortmund, Bayern’s most prominent domestic rival, the highest weekly salary is £155,000.

If Bayern’s players were removed from the calculation, an alternative top ten would feature five players from Borussia Dortmund, three from Bayer Leverkusen and two from RB Leipzig.

The average salary for that group would fall to £131,000 per week, less than half the figure recorded by the Bundesliga’s actual ten highest-paid players.

PSG leaves no room for its Ligue 1 rivals

The situation in France closely resembles the one in Germany. Bayern controls the Bundesliga salary rankings, while Paris Saint-Germain occupies every position in Ligue 1’s top ten.

Ousmane Dembélé is the highest-paid player in the French championship, earning £299,000 per week. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is second on £269,000, with Achraf Hakimi completing the podium on £224,000.

Ousmane Dembélé, PSG – £299,000

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG – £269,000

Achraf Hakimi, PSG – £224,000

Marquinhos, PSG – £221,000

Lucas Hernández, PSG – £218,000

Vitinha, PSG – £194,000

Warren Zaïre-Emery, PSG – £188,000

Nuno Mendes, PSG – £179,000

Willian Pacho, PSG – £149,000

João Neves, PSG – £149,000

The average weekly salary of Ligue 1’s ten highest earners is £209,000.

Lyon appears in 11th place only because the French club agreed to cover Loïs Openda’s Juventus salary during his loan spell this season.

Without that arrangement, PSG would occupy the first 13 positions in the league’s salary table. Marseille would become the first club to interrupt the Parisian monopoly through the £104,000 weekly wage paid to Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. The Danish midfielder may not remain in that position for much longer.

Liverpool should not face major financial obstacles in agreeing personal terms with Bradley Barcola. The Frenchman currently earns “only” £104,000 per week. Compared with the salaries paid to the Premier League’s leading stars, that figure should be manageable for the Anfield club.

Perhaps it is time to start a collection for the poor lad.

Serie A sits at the bottom of the table

Italian football is a long way from the heights of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Serie A clubs dominated the transfer market and offered the game’s most lucrative contracts.

Italy’s top division now ranks last among Europe’s five leading leagues when the average salaries of its ten highest-paid players are compared.

Lautaro Martínez heads the standings on an estimated £274,000 per week. The Inter Milan captain is followed by teammate Nicolò Barella on £198,000. Four players then share the next salary level, with each earning £183,000.

Lautaro Martínez, Inter Milan – £274,000

Nicolò Barella, Inter Milan – £198,000

Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Inter Milan – £183,000

Jonathan David, Juventus – £183,000

Kenan Yıldız, Juventus – £183,000

Kevin De Bruyne, Napoli – £183,000

Randal Kolo Muani, Juventus – £167,000

Alessandro Bastoni, Inter Milan – £167,000

Christopher Nkunku, AC Milan – £152,000

Rasmus Højlund, Napoli – £152,000

The average weekly salary of Serie A’s ten highest-paid players is £184,000.

That figure is £159,000 lower than La Liga’s average. Even the Bundesliga, whose salary chart is controlled entirely by Bayern Munich, records an average £89,500 higher than the Italian competition.

The era when Gazzetta Football Italia showcased a league filled with many of the world’s most expensive footballers is now a distant memory. Italian clubs no longer set the pace in the race for Europe’s most expensive players, while Juventus continues to struggle to obtain sufficient value from its substantial wage bill.

La Liga wins its battle with the Premier League

The comparison shows that the overall financial strength of a competition does not automatically produce the highest average salary at the top of its wage structure.

The Premier League generates enormous revenues and distributes its wealth more evenly across the competition. However, the contracts offered by Real Madrid and Spain’s other leading clubs have taken La Liga’s top-ten average to £343,000 per week.

England follows with an average of £321,000. Germany sits third on £273,500, France records £209,000 and Italy completes the ranking on £184,000.

At an individual level, Erling Haaland remains the highest-paid player among the 50 footballers featured. The Manchester City forward earns £525,000 per week, which is £12,000 more than Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior.