The 10 highest paid players in La Liga: Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappe sits behind two Barcelona stars

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 10 highest-paid players La Liga players, ranking them by their weekly wage.

Note: All figures mentioned are before tax and do not include the array of bonuses that are included in the fine print of every contract.

10. Thibaut Courtois – €288,462

One of six Real Madrid players on this list, Courtois joined Los Blancos from Chelsea in the summer of 2018 and has since won everything there is to win with Madrid.

The Belgium international missed most of the 2023/24 campaign with an ACL injury, although he did return in time to keep a clean sheet in the Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund.

He has two years left on his Madrid contract and is currently earning €288,462-per-week, which equates to €15million-per-year.

9. Federico Valverde – €320,577

While Valverde was initially viewed as an unsung hero at Madrid, he has now become one of the highest-paid players at the club.

The midfielder rejected a move to Saudi Arabia in 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.”

Fede Valverde’s satisfying volley is the Champions League Goal of the Season 😮‍💨

(via @ChampionsLeague) pic.twitter.com/oYHSPt5F0t

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 3, 2024

8. Ilkay Gundogan – €360,577

After helping Manchester City win a historic treble in the 2022/23 season, Gundogan decided to join Barcelona on a free transfer.

The Germany international signed an initial two-year contract and got a significant wage increase, going from €162,075-per-week at the Etihad to €360,577-per-week at Camp Nou.

He registered five goals and 14 assists in 2023/24 but his first season in Spain ended in disappointment as Barcelona failed to win a trophy.

7= Jan Oblak – €400,577

Since joining Atletico Madrid from Benfica in a €16million deal in 2014, Oblak has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

The 31-year-old played a key role in their title triumph in 2020/21, winning the La Liga Zamora Trophy and the La Liga Player of the Season award.

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

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

Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid

7= Vinicius Junior – €400,577

Madrid signed Vinicius in 2018 after triggering the €45million release clause in his Flamengo contract, making him one of the most expensive teenagers of all time.

He has since blossomed into one of the best players in the world, helping Madrid win three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, two FIFA World Club Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and a Copa del Rey title.

The Brazil international signed a new long-term contract at Madrid in October 2023 and is earning 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.

7= Jude Bellingham – €400,577

Real Madrid won the race for Bellingham’s signature in the summer 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.

He can earn an additional €80,192-per-week in potential bonuses, putting him on the exact same salary as Madrid team-mate Vinicius Junior.

The England international justified those wages in the 2023/24 season by registering 23 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.

JUDE BELLINGHAM TAKE A BOW! 👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/48waXBD1E8

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023

4. David Alaba – €432,692

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.

3. Kylian Mbappe – €600,962

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 25-year-old has taken 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 €1.24million-per-week in potential bonuses.

If the France international triggers all of the bonuses in his Madrid contract, he will earn a staggering €95.83million-per-year.

Real Madrid have handed Kylian Mbappe a massive contract

2. Robert Lewandowski – €640,962

Having spent eight years at Bayern Munich, Lewandowski decided to pursue a new challenge in the summer of 2022 and joined Barcelona in a deal that could reach €50million.

He received €400,577-per-week in his debut season in Spain but his contract was signed in a way which would see his salary increase year-on-year.

The 35-year-old striker earned €520,769-per-week in 2023/24 and that will rise to €640,962-per-week for the 2024/25 campaign.

According to reports in Spain, Barcelona will hold talks with his representatives as they are now hoping to re-negotiate the set terms.

1. Frenkie de Jong – €721,154

De Jong earns an eye-watering base salary of €721,154-per-week at Barcelona, making him the highest-paid player in Europe’s top five leagues.

The Netherlands international can also earn an additional €388,654-per-week in add-ons, but he has looked to set the record straight on the controversy surrounding his wages.

“There have been many lies and falsehoods spread about my salary,” he told reporters in October 2022.

“In each of the first three years I played here, I cut my salary. Eventually, the money comes back, and it comes on top of my normal salary, so it looks bigger. I think a lot of people don’t understand this.”

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