- PSG’s highest wages surpass those of any other league, with Lionel Messi and Neymar signing the most significant contracts in football history
- Despite not having a single player among the top earners in League 1, AC Milan currently leads the Serie A table
- Manchester dominates the Premier League, with City and United players occupying eight of the top ten spots
- The Bundesliga, unlike the English and Spanish leagues, is dominated by a single club: Bayern Munich
It should come as no surprise that players from Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain are among the highest-paid stars in the world.
Despite its recent struggles, Man United remains one of the world’s most influential clubs.
The Premier League’s financial strength puts it well ahead of the competition regarding how outrageous a salary it can offer.
PSG is backed by Qatar Sports Investments and continues to spend money pursuing Champions League glory, while Madrid has always paid their galacticos well.
However, United, Real Madrid, and PSG are not the only teams in Europe’s top five leagues to have given out massive contracts to players in recent years.
However, United, Real Madrid, and PSG are not the only teams in Europe’s top five leagues to have given out massive contracts to players in recent years.
Here is a compiled a list of the top ten earners and their weekly wages, rounded to the nearest thousand, from each of Europe’s top five leagues, and the variances between the top earners in each league are surprising.
Premier League
Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid footballer in the Premier League. Photo: Eurosport
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – £515,000
2. Kevin De Bruyne – £400,000
3. David de Gea – £375,000
4. Philippe Coutinho – £351,000
5. Jadon Sancho – £350,000
6. Raphael Varane – £340,000
7. Romelu Lukaku – £325,000
8. Raheem Sterling – £300,000
9. Jack Grealish – £300,000
10. Paul Pogba – £290,000
The Premier League is dominated by Manchester, with Manchester City and Manchester United players occupying eight of the top ten spots.
Both Romelu Lukaku and Jack Grealish made big-money moves last summer and have played this season, but they have often been disappointed.
At writing, the Chelsea and Manchester City attackers had combined for just seven Premier League goals.
Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho and Paul Pogba have been chastised for their performances in a disappointing season for their club.
Pogba looks set to leave on a free transfer in the summer, saving his club a large sum of money every week.
La Liga
Gareth Bale is the highest player in La Liga. Photo: sportslens.com
1. Gareth Bale – £543,000
2. Eden Hazard – £500,000
3. Antoine Griezmann – £480,000
4. Karim Benzema – £384,000
5. David Alaba – £360,000
6. Sergio Busquets – £352,000
7. Marcelo – £350,000
8. Toni Kroos – £350,000
9. Jordi Alba – £333,000
10. Jan Oblak – £332,000
La Liga’s top earners are dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona players, with many not justifying their pay.
Gareth Bale is set to leave Real Madrid this summer after nine years, and he hardly plays for Carlo Ancelotti’s side these days, while his teammate Eden Hazard has been one of Madrid’s worst signings in history.
Antoine Griezmann, like Coutinho, is on loan from Barcelona to Atletico Madrid, with the Blaugrana covering a portion of his wages. It’s no surprise they’re in debt.
Bundesliga
Robert Lewandowski is the highest paid player in Bundesliga. Photo: MARCA
1. Robert Lewandowski – £367,000
2. Manuel Neuer – £320,000
3. Thomas Muller – £320,000
4. Leroy Sane – £320,000
5. Lucas Hernandez – £288,000
6. Joshua Kimmich – £288,000
7. Leon Goretzka – £288,000
8. Kinglsey Coman – £272,000
9. Marcel Sabitzer – £200,000
10. Alphonso Davies – £180,000
The Bundesliga, unlike the English and Spanish leagues, is dominated by a single club: Bayern Munich.
However, the team has a clear wage structure, with the longest-serving players like Neuer and Lewandowski sitting higher up than newcomers like Sabitzer.
Outside of Bayern, the highest earner in the Bundesliga is Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus, who is ranked 11th, just below Davies.
It’s easy to see why Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga for the tenth time in a row.
Serie A
Juventus star Paulo Dybala is the highest paid in Serie A. Photo: Getty Images
1. Paulo Dybala – £216,000
2. Dusan Vlahovic – £207,000
3. Wojciech Szczesny – £192,000
4. Leonardo Bonucci – £192,000
5. Kalidou Koulibaly – £178,000
6. Marcelo Brozovic – £178,000
7. Lautaro Martinez – £178,000
8. Alex Sandro – £178,000
9. Matthijs de Ligt – £164,000
10. Federico Chiesa – £148,000
Similarly to the Bundesliga, one team owns most of the top ten earners, with Juventus owning seven of the top ten earners.
However, Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli and Marcelo Brozovic and Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan are among Italy’s wealthiest footballers.
Despite not having a single player among the top earners, AC Milan currently leads the Serie A table, with Juventus eight points behind, their eight-year dominance of the league coming to an end.
Ligue 1
Lionel Messi is the highest paid player in Leagu 1. Photo: PSG
1. Lionel Messi – £1,017,000
2. Neymar – £900,000
3. Kylian Mbappe – £512,000
4. Sergio Ramos – £436,000
5. Presnel Kimpembe – £291,000
6. Gianluigi Donnarumma – £291,000
7. Georginio Wijnaldum – £276,000
8. Achraf Hakimi – £233,000
9. Marquinhos – £230,000
10. Marco Verratti – £230,000
PSG currently has four of the top ten earners in Ligue 1: Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Achraf Hakimi, all of whom were signed in the summer window.
PSG’s highest wages surpass those of any other league, with Lionel Messi and Neymar signing the most significant contracts in football history.
However, this has not helped them win the Champions League, and their round of 16 exits to Real Madrid this season resulted in some of these stars being booed by their fans.
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