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The German Bundesliga is one of the top football leagues in the world. Over the years it has been graced by a plethora of world-class players, something that holds true even now.
Record Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich paid annual player wages of £166 million (€194 million) last season, which was one of the highest across all sports. Borussia Dortmund (£107 million/€125.3 million) was the next highest in the German top flight in 2020-21.
Unsurprisingly, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund players are some of the highest earners in the Bundesliga. On that note, here's a look at the eleven highest-paid players (base salaries excluding bonuses) in the German top flight in 2021-22:
#11 Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich) - €135,000 per week
Lucas Hernandez arrived at Bayern Munich in the summer of 2019 with much fanfare, making a rousing introduction in German to a delighted Bavarian press:
"Hello, my name is Lucas, I am happy to be here. I am looking forward to a good season with FC Bayern. Pack Mas! Bayern’s a big club whether you’re in France, Spain or Italy. It's one of the best clubs in the world with many trophies, and not many clubs can say that."
However, he had a lukewarm debut campaign, making only 25 appearances in the club's treble-winning season because of injuries. Hernandez fared better in 2020-21, registering three assists as Bayern won a record-extending ninth consecutive Bundesliga title.
The 25-year-old centre-back is yet to make his Bundesliga debut this season. But Hernandez is one of the top earners at the club, reportedly taking home €135,000 per week.
#10 Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich) - €135,000 per week
Since arriving from Schalke on a free transfer three summers ago, Leon Goretzka has evolved into a world-class box-to-box midfielder at Bayern Munich.
The 25-year-old Germany international has become an integral player for club and country. He notched up eight goals and nine assists in all competitions in 2019-20 as Bayern Munich won their second continental treble in seven years.
Last season, Goretzka produced 11 goal contributions (five goals, six assists) as the Bavarians romped to a ninth-straight Bundesliga title.
Courted by many top clubs across the continent, Goretzka has a contract with Bayern Munich until 2022. He reportedly earns €135,000 per week at the club.
#9 Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund) - €163,000 per week
Considered surplus to requirements at Bayern Munich, Emre Can has made a name for himself at Borussia Dortmund, excelling in defensive midfield and defense.
In 74 career Bundesliga appearances, the versatile Can has tallied 16 goal contributions, with nine of them coming for BvB. Arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2019, Can scored a wonder goal on his Bundesliga debut for Dortmund.
Primarily a central midfielder, the 27-year-old Germany international is contracted to BvB until 2024. Can reportedly takes home around €163,000 per week at the Bundesliga giants.
#8 Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) - €167,000 per week
Initially starting out as a centre-back, Joshua Kimmich made a seamless transition to right-back and then further upfield to defensive midfield.
He is one of the truly versatile players who can play in a bevy of positions on the field. Kimmich, though, has admitted that he relishes playing in midfield the most, saying in this regard:
“On the pitch, I can exert more influence in midfield, I’m closer to my teammates and also have more contact with opponents. I can influence the game much more from there.”
The 26-year-old has won six Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, scoring 17 times and providing 50 assists in almost 200 games in the competition.
Kimmich is contracted with Bayern Munich till 2023, and reportedly earns around €167,000 per week at the club.
#7 Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich) - €167,000 per week
Leroy Sane had a decent debut Bundesliga campaign with Bayern Munich since arriving on a €45 million transfer from Manchester City last summer. He scored six goals and provided ten assists.
The 25-year-old winger struck up a devastating partnership with Serge Gnabry on the other flank. Together with Robert Lewandowski, the trio forms one of the most fearsome attacking triumvirates in the game at the moment.
Contracted to Bayern Munich until 2025, Sane reportedly earns around €167,000 per week at the club.
#6 Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich) - €191,750 per week
Kingsley Coman is one of the finest players in the Bundesliga. His stock has been on the rise since the Frenchman scored the winner against his former club PSG in the Champions League final last season.
Still only 25, the Bayern Munich winger has won a staggering ten consecutive league titles, including six in the Bundesliga. Coman has made 56 goal contributions (22 goals, 34 assists) in almost 140 games in the competition.
The winger, who is contracted with Bayern Munich till 2023, reportedly earns around €191,750 per week at the club.
#5 Mats Hummels (Borrusia Dortmund) - €191,780 per week
Once regarded as one of the world's finest centre-backs, Mats Hummels remains a force to be reckoned with for club and country.
The 32-year-old is one of a handful of players to have won multiple Bundesliga titles with more than one club. The Germany international recently scored only the second Bundesliga brace of his career.
Mats Hummels has made 365 appearances in the Bundesliga, with almost 300 of them coming for his current club Borussia Dortmund.
Contracted with BvB till 2023, Hummels is one of the top earners in the Bundesliga, taking home almost €200,000 per week.
#4 Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich) - €208,500 per week
Niklas Sule has been a key player for Bayern Munich since arriving at the club in the summer of 2017, making over 100 appearances in all competitions.
The 27-year-old former Hoffenheim centre-back has made nearly 200 Bundesliga appearances, winning four titles in the competition. Considering his impressive defensive attributes, Sule has been linked with a number of top clubs across Europe.
Sule, who is contracted with Bayern Munich till 2022, reportedly earns around €210,000 per week at the club.
#3 Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) - €230,137 per week
Marco Reus has been a standout performer in the Bundesliga since his debut in the competition more than a decade ago.
The 32-year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder recently racked up his 100th Bundesliga goal for the club. In the process, he became only the fifth player in BvB history to do so.
Often plagued by injuries, Reus has an impressive tally of 136 goals and 89 assists in the Bundesliga. Most of these goal contributions have come with Dortmund, whom he joined in the summer of 2012.
Recently injured while on international duty with Germany, Reus is contracted with Dortmund till 2023. He reportedly earns €230,137 at the club, making him BvB's top earner and one of the top ones in the Bundesliga too.
#2 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) - €333,500 per week
Thomas Muller is often called the Raumdeuter ('interpreter of space'), because of his unique ability to play in a non-conventional role in the attacking third.
One of the last vestiges of the true one-club man after Lionel Messi's move to PSG, Muller has notched up a staggering 299 goal contributions (130 goals, 169 assists) in almost 400 Bundesliga games.
The Bayern Munich man, who has won ten Bundesliga titles, has been an assist king in the competition, especially in recent seasons. Although he doesn't score as many goals as he once did, Muller has registered 21 assists in successive Bundesliga campaigns.
Contracted with Bayern Munich till 2023, the 31-year-old Muller reportedly earns around €333,500 per week at the club.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - €417,000 per week
Robert Lewandowski is arguably the hottest striker on the planet at the moment, and one of the finest in the game's history.
Last season, Bayern Munich's prolific marksman broke the late Gerd Muller's record of most goals (40) in a Bundesliga campaign. The most prolific non-German goalscorer in Bundesliga history, Lewandowski has plundered a staggering 353 goal contributions (282 goals, 71 assists) in as many games in the competition.
The 32-year-old Pole has started the 2021-22 season from where he left off, scoring thrice in five times, as he looks good for another prolific campaign. He has now scored in 12 consecutive Bundesliga games, a personal best and only four adrift of Muller's record.
With a reported weekly wage of almost €420,000, Lewandowski, who is contracted with Bayern till 2032, is unsurprisingly the highest earner in the Bundesliga.
