Highest Paid Football/Soccer Players in the world

The amount of money involved in the world of football right now is at its pinnacle. The marketing aspect of the game has gone up in a hyperbolic fashion and, as a result, the players have also benefited.

These days, footballers make so much money that they can easily feed at least two generations of their own offspring without them having to break a sweat. So, without further ado, let’s have a look at the top 30 highest-paid players in the world!

Note: All the amounts mentioned are waged per-week and before tax.

#30 Marquinhos – £229,583

The PSG defender is number 30 in this list. It is not really shocking given that he is perhaps the best defender in his team as he has surpassed the greatness of Thiago Silva.

#29 Sergio Aguero - £230,137

Sergio Aguero is one of the most consistent strikers in the game right now and it is actually bit surprising that he is at 29 here since someone as consistent could be earning more.

#28 Kevin De Bruyne – £230,137

Meanwhile, his Manchester City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne earns as much as the Argentine, which is what he is deserving of. The Belgian is the connector of the dots between the midfield and attack.

#27 Ivan Rakitic – £230,456

The Barcelona midfielder is the engine at the centre of the park for the Catalans and is almost irreplaceable for the Blaugrana. It must be said that he has been a great replacement for the legendary Xavi Hernandez.

#26 Thomas Muller – £258,074

Thomas Muller might not be the most technically gifted footballer in the world but there is perhaps no one better than him in finding spaces with his off-the-ball movements. He is so good that he would find spaces even in Dhaka’s terrible traffic.

#25 Sergio Busquets – £258,074

At one point in time, Sergio Busquets was the best holding midfielder in the world. While he might not be at the peak of his powers right now, he is still a very good player and his wages are a reflection of that.

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#24 Manuel Neuer – £258,956

Spoiler alert: Manuel Neuer is the only goalkeeper in this list, which means that he is the highest-paid goalkeeper in the world. He might not be at his unreal best right now but even then, he is better than a lot of ‘keepers out there.

#23 Thiago Silva – £274,592

Despite being in his mid-30s, Thiago Silva is still going strong in the French Ligue 1. He might be criticized for his temperament in the big games but his abilities as a defender can’t be overlooked.

#22 Koke – £275,278

The Atletico Madrid midfielder is the engine of his team’s system and it wouldn’t be wrong to claim that the Rojiblancos’ owe some credit to him for their steady rise in European football. In any other club, Koke might have earned much more than this.

#21 Robert Lewandowski – £275,279

He might have hit 30 but Lewandowski is still going very strong. With 11 goals from 17 games, he is still among the most ruthless strikers in the world. Bayern are lucky that they don’t really have to pay over the odds in terms of wages to have a player like him.

#20 Diego Costa – £276,042

It is quite difficult to understand how he gets paid so much despite not being at his best for a while now. Diego Costa has scored only one goal in 11 La Liga appearances this season and might be sold to China in this window.

#19 Karim Benzema – £285,603

Karim Benzema is another striker who has not been among the goals. Although he has improved a lot this season, 7 goals from 20 La Liga games is not really great. He has, however, been a loyal servant to the Galacticos, which is perhaps why they still have so much faith in him.

Picking up form since Mourinho's departure

#18 Paul Pogba – £290,000

Given that he became the most expensive player in the history of football when he was bought by Manchester United, £290k-per-week isn’t really as much as one would have expected. He is also picking up his game under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and it has also been reported that he wants a rise in wages.

#17 Gonzalo Higuain – £303,410

Gonzalo Higuain is currently on loan at Milan but he could very well be on his way to Chelsea on another loan deal from Juventus. Before Juventus signed Ronaldo, Higuain was the most expensive signing made by a Serie A side, so his wages aren’t really surprising when all things considered.

#16 Edinson Cavani – £317,948

Edison Cavani is among the best strikers in the world. He is so good that the standard of the French Ligue 1 might just be a waste of his talent. With 14 goals from 13 matches, it could be claimed that he deserves every bit of the wages given to him.

#15 Luka Modric – £321,732

Luka Modric is officially the best player in the world but he is far from the best-paid in the football fraternity. The Croat is 15th in the list of the highest-paid players and given that Madrid want him to sign an extension, he might just rise a bit in the rankings.

#14 Kylian Mbappe – £321,854

The French youngster might still only be just 20 years old but he is already one of the best players in the world and there is no telling as to how far he could go as a footballer. He admitted to receiving ‘obscene’ wages and given that he has 17 goals from 14 league games, it is just about right that he earns that much.

#13 Marcelo – £345,272

Marcelo is often labeled as the best attacking full-back in the world and it is not far from the truth. He might be struggling with form now but he is perhaps the only ‘defender’ in the world capable of winning games with sheer skill and talent. So, for someone like him, £345,272-per-week before tax is money well spent.

Ramos and Kroos among Madrid's highest earners

#12 Sergio Ramos – £345,273

If you are wondering who is the highest-paid defender in the world, then look no further than Sergio Ramos. The Spain captain might have his flaws but there is perhaps no better defender than him in the world when he is at the peak of his powers.

#11 Toni Kroos – £345,274

Earning just a pound more than the Real Madrid captain is his team-mate Toni Kroos. The German is the tempo-keeper of the Galacticos and has been the fulcrum of the team that won the Champions League three times in a row under Zinedine Zidane.

#10 Mesut Ozil – £350,000

There are not many players better than Mesut Ozil when the German is at his best. However, his recent dip in form coupled with his extremely high wages are a bit of a worry for the Gunners, who might be considering selling him to relax the wage bill.

#9 Alexis Sanchez – £350,000

Speaking of Arsenal relaxing their wage bill, the Emirates outfit did the exact same thing with Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean has not been the same player ever since earning a mega-contract with the Red Devils last January. He needs to up his game a little to be deserving of what he earns.

#8 Philippe Coutinho – £403,971

Philippe Coutinho became the second-most expensive South American player of all time when he joined Barcelona from Liverpool. A player of his quality deserves the amount that he is receiving – even though he is not performing to the standards that the Catalans expect from him.

#7 Luis Suarez – £403,971

Another player that was signed from Liverpool by the Catalans is Luis Suarez – and what a buy he turned out to be. The Uruguayan has been a dangerously consistent figure for the Blaugrana this season and has silenced all the doubters who were at their loudest when the former Ajax star was going through a rough patch.

#6 Ezequiel Lavezzi – £430,125

The Argentine is nowhere near the quality of the players that find themselves here. However, Lavezzi has something that the others don’t: playing for a Chinese club that pay over the odds for rather mediocre players in their 30s.

#5 Gareth Bale – £482,382

Gareth Bale was supposed to be the heir to the throne of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he has spent more time in the recovery pod than the pitch and it won’t be surprising if the Galacticos got rid of him in the summer transfer window of 2019 as it will also ease the wage bill by a huge margin.

#4 Neymar – £633,213

The Brazilian left Barcelona to be his own man at PSG and so far, he has done a great job for the Parisiens. The real challenge is playing well in the Champions League with the French giants. Even without that, however, a player of his quality deserves the amount that he is earning.

#3 Antoine Griezmann – £791,430

Antoine Griezmann made somewhat of a mess with his La Decision video where he revealed his decision of staying at Atletico Madrid instead of joining Barcelona or Manchester United. He is a clever player and a good forward but it is difficult to claim that he deserves being the third-highest-paid player in the world.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo – £990,075

This one was obvious, wasn’t it? Cristiano Ronaldo is the only Juventus player on this list, which, coupled with the urgency with which the Old Lady sent Higuain out on loan, is a testament to how tight Juventus’ wage structure is. Meanwhile, the Portuguese has started his Serie A life very well, making him all the more deserving of his massive wages.

#1 Lionel Messi – £1,221,555

And finally, who else but Lionel Messi? He might have not won the Ballon d’Or last year but for many, he is still the best player in the world. The way he carries Barcelona in almost every game proves that he is still a cut above the rest – which means his wages should also be heads and shoulder above the others.

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Highest Paid Football/Soccer Players in the world | Wages and More