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The Premier League is the richest football league in the world, and is widely regarded as the most competitive one too.
The English top flight enjoys a global audience, which helps it generate a lot of revenue in terms of television rights. Moreover, the competition has some of the richest club owners in the game. That explains why some of the best players in the world have graced the competition over the years.
The current edition of the Premier League also boasts a lot of superstar players who are very well-paid. On that note, here's a look at the five players with the highest wages in the English top flight at the moment:
#5 Raphael Varane (Manchester United) - £340,000 per week
Raphael Varane is one of the top defenders in the game at the moment. After a hugely successful decade-long stint with Real Madrid, the Frenchman moved to Manchester United last summer.
The 28-year-old arrived at Old Trafford with a decorated resume. Varane is a three-time La Liga and four-time Champions League winner with Los Blancos, and won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France.
He had a dream debut in the Premier League, helping his team keep a clean sheet against Wolverhampton Wanderers while also producing an assist. However, injuries have meant Varane has made only 13 appearances across competitions since then.
The Frenchman will hope for a strong finish to the season as Ralf Rangnick's men eye some silverware. While they are virtually out of the Premier League title race, the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League present realistic opportunities for United to end their five-year long title drought.
#4 Jadon Sancho (Manchester United) - £350,000 per week
Jadon Sancho is one of the most exciting young players in the game currently. However, he hasn't exactly set the stage alight since his €85 million move to Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
Sancho has scored just twice in 22 games across competitions, with one strike apiece in the Premier League and Champions League. Those are massively underwhelming numbers considering that he bagged 116 goal contributions (50 goals, 66 assists) in four seasons at BvB.
Despite his slow start to life at United, the 21-year-old is one of the best-paid players in the English top flight.
#3 David de Gea (Manchester United) - £375,000 per week
David de Gea has had a stellar career in the Premier League since arriving at Manchester United in the summer of 2011.
The Spanish shot-stopper has made over 350 appearances in the competition, keeping 127 clean sheets. De Gea has played all 19 league games this season, registering a shutout on four occasions.
At the end of the 2020-21 season, the 31-year-old was the highest-paid Manchester United player. However, he no longer has the bragging rights after a serial Ballon d'Or winner (more on him later) returned to the club last summer.
#2 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - £400,000 per week
Kevin De Bruyne is the only player on this list who doesn't play for Manchester United. The Belgian is the crown jewel of Pep Guardiola's star-studded Manchester City team. That explains why he is one of the best-paid players in the English top flight.
The Belgian international is the engine room in City's midfield, stringing defence-splitting passes for colleagues upfield and setting the tempo of games. De Bruyne is the first player in the Premier League era to provide over 15 assists in three different seasons.
Having played almost 200 games in the English top flight, the 30-year-old has racked up an impressive tally of 47 goals and 79 assists in the competition. De Bruyne is on course to win his fourth Premier League title in five years this season.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - £510,000 per week
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the game. Unsurprisingly, he is also one of the best-paid active players in club football. According to Forbes, Ronaldo has made over $1 billion in career earnings before taxes, making him the first team-sport athlete in the world to do so.
Last season, he earned $125 million, with wages making up $70 million. Ronaldo is reportedly earning £510,000 (approx. $700,000) per week at Manchester United, meaning he could earn a similar overall amount this season too.
After nine hugely successful seasons with Real Madrid and another three with Juventus, the 36-year-old returned to Old Trafford last summer. In his first campaign in 12 years in the English top flight, Ronaldo has fared decently, bagging eight goals and three assists in 16 games.
However, United have massively underwhelmed in the competition. They are currently in seventh place and find themselves a whopping 22 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City, albeit with two games in hand.
