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Whilst its been a while since France produced a European winner, its premier club competition, the Ligue 1, remains one of the richest and the most glamorous in the continent.
The advent of Arabian management has injected astronomical amount into the finance, thereby providing the club with the luxury to buy the choicest of players. The perfect paradigm of this model is none other than Paris Saint-Germain, who've expended over €1 billion since the backing of Qatar ownership and is currently the wealthiest outfit in the country.
Nevertheless, who are the highest paid players in the French top-flight? Who are those who draw sizeable wages? Let's find out the top 10.
Note: All figures mentioned are on a monthly basis and as per revelations by L'Equipe.
#10 Dani Alves - €700,000
A never-ending reservoir of energy, Dani Alves brings an extra layer of attack from the flanks for PSG, as his five assists coupled with another four goals in all competitions this season would suggest. The former Barcelona defender also averages over three tackles per game, while he remains an astute passer of the ball too – 26 key passes (highest for a defender in Ligue 1 this term) and 1,009 successful ones (the sixth best in the league amongst the defenders).
His decision to decline an opportunity to reunite with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City last summer was seen as a miss by many, but his performances starkly suggest otherwise.
Alves has injected some healthy dose of flair into the PSG wings that were devoid of it for some time, whilst also bringing robustness with his brawny physicality. His versatility was at its peak when he slipped into the goalkeeping kit in the recent 4-1 win over Sochaux after Kevin Trapp was sent off.
#9 Radamel Falcao - €750,000
The only non-PSG player on the list, Radameel Falcao has resurrected his fading career at AS Monaco. The failed stints at Manchester United and Chelsea threatened to wreck his career beyond repair, but the Colombian has revived himself and is now enjoying the second wind of his career with the Les Monegasques.
Falcao rolled back the years with his heroics last season where he not only engineered Monaco's first league triumph in 17 years, but also achieve a semi-final finish in the Champions League. He finished the campaign with 30 strikes in 43 appearances in all competitions, the first time he touched the 30-goal mark since 2013 with Atletico Madrid.
#8 Javier Pastore - €770,000
Javier Pastore was a player earmarked for the future; touted to be the next big thing from Argentina. He even had the platform at PSG to burnish his talent, but sadly it was just another case of a prodigy gone pale with time.
The 28-year old has completely fallen out of favour in Paris, while the recurring injuries haven't helped his cause either. He’s nowhere near the wonderkid we saw at Palermo and a reasonably poor return of 44 goals in 248 appearances shows he hard he's fallen.
The club could've cut their losses this January by sending him away with Inter Milan, Liverpool and Tottenham calling, but a move never materialized due to Nerazzurris' inability to meet PSG's demands, while on the other hand, the player turned his back to the British shores.
#7 Thiago Motta - €875,000
Unassuming but never unavailing, the genius of Thiago Motta continues to go strong even at the age of 35. The Italian international may be shrouded under the shadows of the big names at PSG, but remains a crucial member of the squad.
Motta maintains an envious 94 percent passing accuracy in the league, and also ensures continuity of play with his intelligent on-pitch movements. The industry and ingenuity he continues to imbue belies his ripe age, but the former Inter Milan midfielder seems to still have a lot left in his tank.
He has consistently fended off challenges from more marquee players in his position, which is a testament to his longevity, and apparently, also played the peacemaker when tensions between Neymar and Edinson Cavani simmered earlier in the season.
#6 Marquinhos - €1.1 million
Marquinhos is one of those unsung heroes; never in the limelight but always in the thick of the things. This season, the 23-year-old has proved to be one of the important reasons for PSG's obdurate backline, while his unwavering partnership with Thiago Silva makes them one of the best centre-back pairing in Europe.
Marquinhos is also an active contributor in the attack as his hand in five goals would suggest, while he is also one of the best distributors of the ball in Europe with a 94% accuracy, the second best in Ligue 1 among the defenders.
A great reader of the game with an uncanny knack for impeccable positioning, the Brazilian brought the fans an extra reason to cheer by committing himself to the club until 2022 in July last year, staving off interests from Manchester United and Juventus.
#5 Angel Di Maria - €1.1 million
The arrival of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe may have put him in the shade a bit, but Di Maria has been just as impressive as ever. The six goals and five assists he's managed in only 15 starts in the league this season suggest his indomitable influence from the midfield as the Argentine still remains a pivotal figure in Unai Emery's set-up.
El Fideo has particularly thrived when either of Neymar or Mbappe doesn't play, and with seven strikes, he’s currently the most prolific midfielder in the league this calendar year.
Di Maria was at his imperious best when he scored a brilliant hat-trick against Sochaux in the Coupe de France on Tuesday, the latest in a string of sterling performances.
#4 Thiago Silva - €1.3 million
Once among the very best in the business, Silva's time at PSG has been marked with so many ups and downs. If he's been a commanding skipper peeling his side off the ground in trying times, the former Milan centre-back has also been in the eye of the storm for some unforgivable blunders. His error-prone nature was at its peak in the 6-1 drubbing to Barcelona last year.
Nevertheless, the Brazil international remains a key member of the team and is having a sound season this time around. In fact, he’s the best rated defender of Ligue 1 on Squawka. Silva also surpassed the 200 cap barrier as the PSG captain last November when he led his team out against Troyes, the only player after the legendary Dominique Bathenay to record the incredible milestone.
#3 Kylian Mbappe - €1.5 million
Only 19, Mbappe is in a rich vein of form that will even put many of the seasoned footballers to shame. He was instrumental to Monaco’s historic league triumph last season, scoring 15 times, and has carried that blistering run into the new season with his new club. His monthly wages also makes him the highest-paid teen in Europe.
Despite the company of some stellar names at PSG, there's absolutely no stopping the French teen from shining bright, or in some cases like we've seen, the brightest. The 26-goal tally he records presently for PSG currently says little of the imperious talent that Mbappe is, while the world continues to go berserk about him.
#2 Edinson Cavani - €1.5 million
The departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic was certainly a boon for Edinson Cavani, as he has been a different beast ever since.
Cavani is now the leading man rather than a support; he's thriving in the striking role he was devoid of before and more importantly, enjoying the best spell of his career. Last season, he finished with a career-high return of 49 goals and his scoring run has witnessed a 39 percent rise since the Swede’s exit.
With the arrival of Neymar and Mbappe in the summer, the trident forged a fearsome attacking partnership that's amassed a staggering 69 goals in all competitions, 27 of which came from the former Napoli forward, who's also now the most prolific in the club's history after surpassing Ibrahimovic last month.
#1 Neymar - €3.1 million
Having already cost a record-setting £222 million for his acquisition from Barcelona, Neymar also takes home the heftiest pay check in the French league. But even if the Brazilian burnt a hole in PSG's pocket, he's repaying it on the pitch in the form of incredible returns, having struck 27 times in all competitions thus far and laying assist to another 15 goals!
The 25-year old didn't take much time to grow into a fan favourite in the French capital, nor to dovetail to the demands of a new league. In fact, Neymar's stock has skyrocketed since the headline-grabbing move.
Unlike any other player, Neymar hasn't wilted under the burden of a daunting price tag and instead, proved value for every penny of it splurged on him. Having stepped out of Lionel Messi's shadows, Neymar is finally transgressing into the player that he was always scripted to be.
