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The Premier League kicked off on 10 August, and football fans all over the world are excited for a new season of long-standing rivalries, thrilling victories and crushing defeats.
Part of what makes the top flight club competition in England so well-respected and so widely enjoyed is the sheer volume of star players that make up the league's 20 teams.
These high-profile and talented players do not come cheap. Each year, the top footballers sign contracts worth millions. Using weekly salary data from Spotrac,identified the highest-paid soccer players during the 2017-2018 Premier League season.
Here are the top five
5. Romelu Lukaku
Pay: £250,000 weekly ($17.1 million annually)
Team: Manchester United,
Position: Forward
Country: Belgium ,Contract: Five-year deal worth £65.0 million ($84.8 million).
Today, Lukaku earns roughly $17.1 million-a-year, but the powerful striker says that he has always been motivated to achieve athletic and financial success because of his humble upbringing. "We were broke. Not just poor, but broke," he wrote in a post for The Players Tribune.
Lukaku shares how his family slept on the floor and went without electricity for weeks. "People in football love to talk about mental strength. Well, I'm the strongest dude you're ever going to meet," he said, adding "because I remember sitting in the dark with my brother and my mom, saying our prayers, and thinking, believing, knowing … it's going to happen."
4. Kevin De Bruyne
Pay: £280,000 weekly ($19.1 million annually)
Position: MidfielderTeam: Manchester City
Country: Belgium
Contract: Five-year deal worth £72.8 million ($95 million).
Fourth on the list is Kevin De Bruyne, who helped Belgium to a third-place finish in the 2018 World Cup. De Bruyne closely out earned his compatriot, Lukaku.
3. Paul Pogba
Pay: £290,000 weekly ($19.8 million annually)
Team: Manchester United
Position: Midfielder
Country: France
Contract: Five-year deal worth £75.4 million ($98.4 million).
Third on the list is world cup winner Paul Pogba brings in around $19.8 million-a-year playing for United, making him the third highest-paid player in the Premier League. He was also the highest paid player in the World Cup Final between France and Croatia.
4. Mesut Özil
Pay: £306,250 weekly ($20.9 million annually)
Team: Arsenal
Position: Midfielder
Country: Germany
Contract: Three-year deal worth £63.7 million ($83.1 million).
Second on the list is Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil, who is believed to make $20.9 million annually. Özil is one of the most well-respected and expensive German players in history however, the midfielder announced last month that he would be retiring from the German national team citing "racism and disrespect."
1. Alexis Sanchez
Pay: £315,000 weekly ($21.5 million annually)
Team: Manchester United
Position: Forward
Country: Chile
Contract: Four-year deal worth £81.9 million ($106.9 million).
United employs three of the five highest-paid players in the Premier League: Alexis Sanchez, Pogba and Lukaku. The Chilean topped the list as the highest-paid player in the Premier League, with an estimated earnings of $21.5 million.
The former Arsenal player, Sanchez would be keen to revive his form after a rather subdued start to his career at Old Trafford.
