5 Most underpaid football players in the world right now

#2. Leroy Sane (Manchester City)

Leroy Sane is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered back in August

Manchester City suffered a huge blow in only the first month of their season when Leroy Sane and Aymeric Laporte, two stand-out performers of last season, were sidelined for the majority of the campaign with long-term knee ligament injuries. Whilst Pep Guardiola’s defence has unsurprisingly been leaky and inconsistent without the Frenchman, their attack has also suffered without their mercurial German winger.

Sane was bought by Guardiola in his first season in charge at the Etihad, who has transformed him into one of the best wingers in the world. At just 22, the left-sided attacker is a regular starter in a star-studded Manchester City team and also in Joachim Low’s German national team.

In Guardiola’s first Premier League-winning campaign, Leroy Sane scored 10 goals and gave 15 assists and was deservedly given the Young Player of the Year award. He followed that up in the next season with another 10 goals and 10 assists in the league to his name. The former Schalke man also played a key role in City’s cup successes and as a result, attracted heavy interest from some of Europe’s elite clubs like Bayern Munich.

However, with all his world-class talent, individual achievements and coveted trophies, Leroy Sane is still one of the most underpaid players in Europe. To put this into perspective, the winger earns £90,000-per-week, which is less than City defenders Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones. Sane’s partner-in-crime Raheem Sterling is second on the payroll list with a whopping salary of £300,000-per-week, more than three times of what he earns.

Part of the reason why the German international is keen for a move to Bayern is that he is often under-appreciated at City in comparison to his illustrious counterparts. In Munich, however, he could not only become a poster boy at the biggest club of the land but also see a significant rise in weekly wages. Sane has turned down a contract renewal at Manchester City several times over the last year or so which only indicates his desire to return to his home country.