20 Highest-Paid Footballers in Europe’s Top 5 Leagues

Key Takeaways

• The top European leagues have lost some of their highest-earning players over the past 18 months, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.
• Lionel Messi’s move to the MLS means he’s also no longer among the top earners in European football, but he would still rank highly on a global scale.
• The absence of certain big names has allowed other players to become some of the highest-paid footballers on the continent.

The top-earning players in the top five European leagues have been revealed, with a lot of big names now being absent due to the emerging force of the Saudi Pro League. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema would have been towards the top of this list in 2023 until they made their moves to the Middle East.

With astronomical figures being thrown about in that part of the world for football players, the aforementioned names are certainly better paid than the top names on this list. Lionel Messi also left the European game last year, although the 37-year-old opted to move to the MLS rather than the Saudi Arabian league. Messi boasts the biggest MLS contract in history, and had this been a world ranking, he would be towards the top of the list once more.

The absence of these names has left room for other players to make their way into the top 20 earners across the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1. These are still regarded as the top five divisions on the continent, although it has to be said that only one Serie A player makes the cut. So, we take a look at the top 20 highest-paid players in Europe’s top five leagues with the weekly wage figures.

1 Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)

Wage: £614,214 per week

The privilege of being the highest-paid midfielder and player from Europe’s top five leagues goes to the Barcelona man. It perhaps gives an indication as to why the Dutch star was reluctant to leave Spain to sign for Manchester United in 2022. Being a big signing from Ajax over five years ago now, De Jong has become a key part of a Barcelona team that is looking to get back to past glories.

The Spanish giants won La Liga in 2023, but haven’t even been close to European success in recent years. With Hansi Flick taking over from Xavi Hernandez in the summer, the status of everyone at the club is up in the air. Although, De Jong’s immediate future will be in the treatment room as he recovers from a serious ankle issue.

2 Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)

Wage: £540,752 per week

Robert Lewandowski was snapped up by Barcelona in 2022 after rattling in 344 goals across his eight years at Bayern Munich. The Pole’s clinical nature in front of goal is a quality worth its weight in gold for any club in the modern game, with very few forwards being comparable to Lewandowski in that respect.

The hardest skill in football is to consistently put the ball in the back of the net, and for that reason, it comes as no surprise that Lewandowski is towards the top of this list. His clinical goalscoring led Barcelona to the 2022/23 La Liga title. After an underwhelming second season, the dedicated 36-year-old has rediscovered his finishing prowess.

3 Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

Wage: £511,845 per week

After years of speculation, Kylian Mbappe finally joined Real Madrid this summer, and he took a pay cut to do so. During his time at PSG, he was the highest-paid player in Europe and was taking home over £1m every week. The allure of playing for Los Blancos meant he more than halved his salary to move to La Liga.

With that said, he’s still earning over £500,000 a week and won’t be short of cash anytime soon. Considering Madrid are coming off the back of yet another Champions League triumph, the notion of adding the French star to their ranks is quite ridiculous.

4 Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

Wage: £409,476 per week

There was a growing belief that Kane would never leave Tottenham in the pursuit of a new challenge. However, the opportunity to win trophies with Bayern Munich – along with a lucrative contract offer – was enough to finally prize the Englishman away from Spurs and the Premier League. He is widely acknowledged as the very best in his position globally, with his wage now reflecting this.

The second-highest goalscorer in Premier League history was always going to command an extremely healthy salary, and his form for the German side throughout his debut campaign proves exactly why. Kane became the fastest man to reach 20 Bundesliga goals, doing so in only 14 matches. Bayern Munich’s number nine also reached the tally that won the previous season’s Golden Boot in only 11 games. He is simply unstoppable. With that said, he is still yet to win that first bit of silverware.

5 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Wage: £400,000 per week

Manchester City will be hoping that being the highest-paid player at the club will be enough to keep the Belgian happy and turn down any future approaches from Middle Eastern sides. Being perhaps the best player in the English top flight, the 32-year-old has already all but paid back the money forked out for his services by helping his side to six league titles and European glory.

De Bruyne is already making his way into conversations about the best midfielders in Premier League history before even hanging up his boots, and that says something about the talent the former Chelsea youngster possesses. There is no doubt that he is the best midfielder in world football, and despite injury issues, is still the most important man in the most dominant team in the world.

6 Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Wage: £375,000 per week

Having secured the Premier League’s single-season goalscoring record in his debut campaign with 36 goals in 35 games, and finishing top scorer in the Premier League in both his seasons in the league, the Norwegian has proven why Manchester City were willing to pay him such a high wage. Haaland was unlucky to finish second in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings, behind Lionel Messi, after a sensational first 18 months with the Citizens.

The fact the Norwegian helped his side to a first-ever Champions League triumph and a historic treble in his first season is a testament to the impact his signing had on an already dominant side. While the wages are still eye-watering, Haaland and De Bruyne are two players who deserve to be very well compensated for their efforts and contributions.

7 David Alaba (Real Madrid)

Wage: £368,528 per week

Perhaps surprisingly bringing home just under £370,000 a week, the former Bayern Munich defender earns more than all of his Real Madrid teammates, bar one (Mbappe). There was a lot of interest in the versatile Austrian as it became clear he would be leaving his previous club at the end of his contract, and the Spanish giants swooped in with a massive offer to seal the deal in 2021.

Alaba’s 2023/24 season was cut short due to a long-term injury, and this was seen as a massive absence from the backline as his versatility allowed the 32-year-old to operate effectively in the centre and on the left. Not only an intelligent defender but also a composed player in possession, the Austria international is a big player for the biggest club in the world and is paid as such.

8 Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)

Wage: £363,942 per week

After showing incredible promise early in his career, Dusan Vlahovic hasn’t taken off as many expected him to at Juventus. He’s not been bad by any stretch, scoring a little under a goal every other game for the defensive Serie A giants, but it’s hardly the form that he teased before leaving Fiorentina.

Still, he’s being paid very handsomely by Juventus for his services and currently takes home just over £360,000 a week. For that sort of price, the club will probably want his output in front of goal to increase. If they want to return to the peak of Italian football, they can’t afford to splash such a large fee on someone whose best seasonal return for the club so far is 16 league goals.

9 Casemiro (Manchester United)

Wage: £350,000 per week

Manchester United’s highest earner receives the same weekly wage as Liverpool’s. Casemiro was brought in from Real Madrid in 2022 after winning five Champions League titles with Los Blancos, meaning he was always going to be well-paid. United are known to hand out big contracts for marquee signings and the Brazilian did not disappoint in his first campaign. It’s been a steep decline ever since.

Some big-name stars on high-paying deals have been moved on in recent times and Casemiro could be the next on that list for Erik ten Hag after a disappointing 2023/24 season and a disastrous start to the new campaign. At 32 years old, though, there will be few suitors willing to pay Casemiro such a significant sum.

10 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Wage: £350,000 per week

With strong links to a move to the Saudi Pro League, Salah was almost not included on this list and paid significantly more. Liverpool’s talisman for the Jurgen Klopp era signed a new contract in the summer of 2022, becoming the highest-paid player in the history of the Premier League giants. The Reds don’t tend to pay such high wages but were willing to make an exception for the man to have scored over 200 goals for the club.

Salah is now among the top 10 Premier League goalscorers of all time, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest forwards to have graced the English division. It remains to be seen how much longer he will remain at Anfield, though, as he is one of several key figures at the club whose contracts expire in 2025.

11 Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)

Wage: £343,960 per week

Bayern Munich’s number one is the highest-paid goalkeeper in Europe, and it is not surprising as the German has spent the past decade as one of the best in his position. Not only that, but he is also the second-highest-earning player in the entire Bundesliga, behind only Kane. At 38 years old, it is yet to be seen how long Neuer will have at the top, but his career will be remembered fondly either way.

His status as one of the greatest goalkeepers in history is already set in stone for when Neuer does eventually decide to hang up his gloves. Even after suffering a long-term injury in the second part of the 2022/23 season, the Germany international is still the top shot-stopper in the Bundesliga and one of the best in the world.

12 Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

Wage: £341,175 per week

Vinicius Junior and his teammate, Bellingham, earn the same wage at the Bernabeu. The Englishman definitely started out as a sensation with his new side after joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2023, racking up 23 goals from a midfield role in his debut campaign. The 21-year-old looks set to be one of the biggest stars in the game over the next decade and this will not be his biggest contract by the time he hangs up his boots.

With his imperious performances for the Spanish giants, Bellingham has already put himself in an early conversation as a potential winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or. The future is incredibly bright for the former Birmingham City man.

13 Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

Wage: £341,175 per week

On the exact same weekly wage as Bellingham is possibly the best left-winger in world football – Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian makes the cut convincingly and his performances in recent years prove he is worth every penny in today’s game. There would be no surprised fans if he were rewarded with an even better deal in the near future to ensure no other club swoops in to blow his current wage away. Alongside Bellingham, and now Mbappe, things are looking pretty scary for the rest of Europe and if the trio can deliver on the level that many are expecting them to, they’ll all do more than earn their salaries.

14 Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)

Wage: £341,175 per week

Atletico Madrid’s 31-year-old shot-stopper is the second-highest-paid goalkeeper in the European top five leagues, meaning he earns more than Ederson, Alisson and Thibaut Courtois. The keeper has recently completed a decade of service at the Spanish club and, in that time, he has consistently been a top performer in between the sticks.

Diego Simeone’s side are known to invite pressure upon themselves and Oblak presents a formidable figure in goal, even if he has begun the gradual decline from his legendary zenith. The Slovenia international is paid the same each week as Real Madrid duo, Vinícius Junior and Jude Bellingham.

15 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

Wage: £335,770 per week

Thomas Muller is Bayern Munich’s highest-paid outfielder, with the veteran forward earning more than a third of £1m per week. The 34-year-old has been a loyal servant to Bayern Munich for the past two decades, becoming the club’s record appearance holder at the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

He has found the back of the net more than 240 times on the way to a massive twelve Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues, meaning he has more than earned his massive wage. His time with the club could soon come to an end, as game time was hard to come by for the veteran in the 2023/24 season.

16 Ousmane Dembele (PSG)

Wage: £327,581 per week

Similarly to Kane, the French winger sealed a big-money deal in the 2023 summer transfer window as he moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. Having previously joined the Spanish club for a fee of over £100m, the 27-year-old was once the most sought-after young talent around.

With Kylian Mbappe leaving PSG for Real Madrid this summer, this is the perfect opportunity for Dembele to take charge and make the team his own. Losing such an important star, the club will be hoping that the former Barcelona man will play at the level that his salary suggests he should be at.

17 Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)

Wage: £324,456 per week

Leroy Sane was already extremely well-paid when he was representing one of the richest clubs in world football, Manchester City. This is why it comes as no real shock to see the German on this list, as very few players in their 20s move on and accept a pay cut.

With his injury problems looking to be firmly behind him, Sane has reinvented himself as a creative force, having previously been an all-action winger. Supplying a slew of assists for Kane and others at the Allianz Arena, the 28-year-old is key to the Bundesliga side as he is capable of playing on either flank as well as in the number 10 role.

18 Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

Wage: £319,391 per week

One of Bayern’s most underrated stars is still well-remunerated. Joshua Kimmich’s ability to play across multiple positions has made him an incredibly useful figure over the years. Whether it’s for club or country, his knack for rising to the occasion when it’s needed most means he’s earned every bit of his lofty salary.

The 29-year-old has spent close to a decade with Bayern, winning just about everything there was to win in that time. With close to 400 appearances for the club under his belt too, he’ll go down as a legend at the Allianz Arena, and considering his contributions over the years, there’s an argument to be made that he could have been paid even more.

19 Lucas Hernandez (PSG)

Wage: £311,202 per week

A quick glance at his weekly payslip may suggest otherwise, but Lucas Hernandez has been pretty unfortunate in recent years. The 2018 World Cup winner tore his ACL in the first match of France’s title defence in Qatar. Hernandez had been lured away from Bayern Munich by Paris Saint-Germain by the time he recovered.

At the end of his debut campaign in the French capital, which was on the eve of Euro 2024, the versatile defender sustained the same severe knee injury once again. All the money in the world cannot buy a perfect bill of health – as Hernandez has found out time and again.

20 Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich)

Wage: £309,072 per week

Serge Gnabry collected around £20,000 per week while he was on loan from Arsenal at West Bromwich Albion, struggling to get a game for the reserves at the relegation-threatened club. Now, he earns more than twice as much each day at the sharp end of Bayern Munich’s front line.

Tony Pulis was in charge of the Baggies during Gnabry’s unsuccessful loan. While he never questioned the young winger’s attitude, the Welsh coach was stunned to discover the extent of the upward trajectory which took Gnabry to Werder Bremen and then Bayern. “It can’t be him,” Pulis remembers thinking, “it must be his brother.”

Stats courtesy of Capology via FBref. Correct as of 7th September 2024.