The highest paid players in LaLiga: Trent Alexander-Arnold one of six Real Madrid stars in list

While every team in La Liga is handed a salary cap, the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona are still able to offer lucrative contracts to players.

Atletico Madrid try and compete with the two juggernauts of Spanish football, although their annual wage bill is significantly smaller.

We’ve taken a look at the highest-paid La Liga players, ranking them by their weekly wage before any add-ons are included.

Note, the values listed in pounds are conversions at the time of writing, rounded to the nearest thousand, and are subject to change.

11= Federico Valverde

Weekly wage: €320,577 (£278,000/$372,000)

Yearly wage: €16.6million (£14.4million/$19.3million)

Club: Real Madrid

Contract until: June 30, 2029

One of six Real Madrid players on this list, Valverde joined Los Blancos from Penarol in 2016 and has played a key role in their success in recent years.

The Uruguay international rejected a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 and signed a new long-term contract at the Bernabeu, which took his wages up to €320,577-per-week.

“It is really impossible for me to go to the Saudi League,” the Uruguay international said. “No chance. 10, 20 or 30million will not change my life.

“I’m at Real Madrid, the best club in the world. I love my life in Madrid, the same goes for my family and that’s it.”

11= Trent Alexander-Arnold

Weekly wage: €320,577 (£278,000/$372,000)

Yearly wage: €16.6million (£14.4million/$19.3million)

Club: Real Madrid

Contract until: June 30, 2031

After rejecting contract offers from Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold ended his career-long spell at his boyhood club to join Real Madrid this summer.

He put pen to paper on a six-year deal at got a big pay rise, going from €208,982-per-week at Anfield to €320,5777-per-week at the Bernabeu.

The England international can also earn an additional €288,462-per-week in bonuses, taking his wages up to a potential €609,038-per-week.

11= Nico Williams

Weekly wage: €320,577 (£278,000/$372,000)

Yearly wage: €16.6million (£14.4million/$19.3million)

Club: Athletic Bilbao

Contract until: June 30, 2035

Williams looked set to join Barcelona this summer but ultimately opted to remain at Athletic Bilbao, signing a new 10-year contract with his boyhood club.

“We have very ambitious titles like the Champions League, which everyone would like to play in,” the Spain international said.

“What could be better than doing it with the club of my life? I would like to continue making history here at San Mames, with the fans, with my family, and with a lot of enthusiasm.”

He is now being paid €320,577-per-week and his new deal also raises his release clause to €100million (£86.6m/$116.2m), up from the previous €58million (£50.2m/$67.4m).

11= Lamine Yamal

Weekly wage: €320,577 (£278,000/$372,000)

Yearly wage: €<16.6million (£14.4million/$19.3million)

Club: Barcelona

Contract until: June 30, 2031

Since making his Barcelona debut in 2023 at the age of just 15 years old, Yamal has blossomed into one of the best players in the world.

The Spain international got a huge pay rise after winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey in 2024/25, going from €64,000-per-week to €320,577-per-week.

His new contract – which runs until the end of the 2030/31 season – also allows the 17-year-old to earn an additional €200,385-per-week in bonuses.

“The salary needs to match the importance of the player in the team, no matter the age he has,” Barcelona president Joan Laporta said. “He is a special case and needs special treatment.”

Lamine Yamal’s work of art. 🖼️#EspanyolBarça | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/V5hLumNckY

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 16, 2025

7. Frenkie de Jong

Weekly wage: €365,385 (£317,000/$424,000)

Yearly wage: €19million (£16.4million/$22million)

Club: Barcelona

Contract until: June 30, 2026

De Jong’s salary at Barcelona has been a significant topic of discussion in recent years, and he publicly denied reports that he earns €37million-per-year.

“Many things come out that are not true, it is irritating me,” the Netherlands international said.

“It’s a lot of smoke, a lot of lies, the truth is that it is far from what I earn. I won’t say figures, they have invented a story that is not true. I am very happy at Barca, it is the club of my dreams. I hope I can continue many years playing for Barca.”

The midfielder is actually estimated to be on a base salary of €19million-per-year and can earn an additional €6.2million-per-year with bonuses.

He is about the enter the final year of his contract but has reportedly told the club that he’s prepared to accept a pay cut and sign an extension on lower wages.

6= Jan Oblak

Weekly wage: €400,577 (£347,000/$465,000)

Yearly wage: €20.8million (£18million/$24.1million)

Club: Atletico Madrid

Contract until: June 30, 2028

Having joined Atletico Madrid in 2014, Oblak has just finished his 11th season at the club and has made over 350 appearances in La Liga.

He has a €400,577-per-week contract and is the highest-paid player at the club, earning €160,192-per-week more than Antoine Griezmann.

The 32-year-old Slovenia international is also the second-highest-paid goalkeeper in the world after Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer.

6= Robert Lewandowski

Weekly wage: €400,577 (£347,000/$465,000)

Yearly wage: €20.8million (£18million/$24.1million)

Club: Barcelona

Contract until: June 30, 2026

Lewandowski was earning €640,962-per-week in the 2024/25 season, which made him the highest-paid player in Europe’s top five leagues.

The 36-year-old striker repaid the club by netting 42 goals in 52 appearances and helping them win LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa.

A one-year contract extension was automatically triggered to keep him at the club until 2026, but the deal also saw his salary drop down to €400,577-per-week.

4= Jude Bellingham

Weekly wage: €400,577 (£347,000/$465,000)

Yearly wage: €20.8million (£18million/$24.1million)

Club: Real Madrid

Contract until: June 30, 2029

Real Madrid won the race for Bellingham’s signature in the summer of 2023 after agreeing to pay Borussia Dortmund an initial €103million and another €30million in bonuses.

Alongside the transfer fee, Madrid also shelled out a significant pay packet as they are giving him a base salary of €400,577-per-week.

His contract also includes a number of performance-related bonuses and they could see that figure rise to €480,769-per-week.

The England international is the second-highest-paid midfielder in the world behind Manchester United’s Casemiro.

4= Vinicius Junior – €400,577 / £336,000

Weekly wage: €400,577 (£347,000/$465,000)

Yearly wage: €20.8million (£18million/$24.1million)

Club: Real Madrid

Contract until: June 30, 2027

After Bellingham’s arrival at Real Madrid, Vinicius signed a contract extension in October 2023 to earn parity with his teammate.

The Brazil international has recently been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League but now looks set to sign a new deal at the Bernabeu, which will give him another pay rise.

“I am very calm because my contract lasts until 2027 and I hope to renew my contract as soon as possible because I am happy here,” he said.

“I am living the dream of playing with the best players in the world, the best coach, the best president, the best fans. Here everybody loves me so much. I couldn’t be in a better place.”

Vinícius Júnior ➡️ Bellingham#UCL pic.twitter.com/IZuoC3u0t0

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 12, 2024

2. David Alaba

Weekly wage: €432,692 (£375,000/$502,000)

Yearly wage: €22.5million (£19.4million/$26million)

Club: Real Madrid

Contract until: June 30, 2026

Alaba ended his 13-year association with Bayern Munich in 2021 and left the club on a free transfer after turning down multiple offers to extend his contract.

He attracted interest from Liverpool, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Juventus before signing a five-year contract at Real Madrid.

While Madrid didn’t have to pay a transfer fee, the defender didn’t come cheap as he reportedly received a €17.7million signing bonus and is now earning €432,692-a-week.

The Austria international is currently the third-highest-paid defender in the world after Kalidou Koulibaly and Aymeric Laporte, who both play in the Saudi Pro League.

1. Kylian Mbappe

Weekly wage: €600,962 (£521,000/$697,000)

Yearly wage: €31.2million (£27million/$36.2million)

Club: Real Madrid

Contract until: June 30, 2029

Mbappe completed his long-awaited move to Real Madrid after his Paris Saint-Germain contract expired at the end of the 2023/24 season.

The 26-year-old actually took a significant pay cut, going from €1.38million-per-week in Paris to €600,962-per-week in Madrid.

But he will reportedly receive a €150million signing-on bonus over the course of his five-year deal and the contract also includes an additional €777,308-per-week in potential bonuses.

If the France international triggers all of the bonuses in his Madrid contract, he will earn a staggering €71.67million-per-year.

READ MORE: The 10 biggest LaLiga signings in the summer 2025 transfer window