According to a new study by Spanish outlet, Marca, only four players in world football belong in the ‘best-paid XI’ and the ‘Best XI’.
As we know, wages in football are spiralling out of control and earning hundreds of thousands of English pounds every week is now the norm for top players.
But are the highest wages in football being given to the very best players in world football?
In short, the answer is no.
Let’s take a look at the best-paid XI in world football first and see which players are taking home those mega contracts.
(Salary = annual pay in Euros)
Goalkeeper – David de Gea (€19 million)
Defender – Achraf Hakimi (€13 million)
Defender – Raphael Varane (€17 million)
Defender – Kalidou Koulibaly (€15 million)
Midfielder – Eden Hazard (€25 million)
Midfielder – Kevin De Bruyne (€23 million)
Midfielder – Andres Iniesta (€23 million)
Midfielder – Lionel Messi (€40 million)
Winger – Kylian Mbappe (€72 million)
Winger – Neymar (€44 million)
Striker – Cristiano Ronaldo (€200 million)
Total salary: €491 million
De Gea’s contract at Manchester United expires next season and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to negotiate a similar salary if he’s to stay at Old Trafford. Another Man Utd player is in defence in the form of Varane, who takes home €17 million each year. He’s probably earned that money a little more than Koulibaly who hasn’t done too much at Chelsea to earn his €15 million. Hakimi has the lowest salary on the team at €13 million.
Probably the biggest case of ‘stealing a living’ in this side is Hazard, who is earning €25 million at Real Madrid despite his struggles. That’s more than De Bruyne, who is arguably the best midfielder in world football right now. Iniesta, who is still playing for Vissel Kobe at the age of 39, earns the same as the Man City man. Messi makes the XI, with his lucrative contract at Paris Saint-Germain which is set to expire in the summer.
The front three earn more than €300 between them – although Ronaldo’s Al-Nassri salary makes up two-third of that. Ronaldo is the best-paid footballer in history but, at the age of 38, can no longer be considered one of the best in the world. Mbappe can, though, and he collects a pretty sweet €72 million at PSG, with his teammate, Neymar, picking up €44 million.
Goalkeeper – Thibaut Courtois (€8 million)
Defender – Achraf Hakimi (€13 million)
Defender – Eder Militao (€7 million)
Defender – Ronald Araújo (€7 million)
Defender – Alphonso Davies (€11 million)
Midfielder – Kevin De Bruyne (€23 million)
Midfielder – Luka Modric (€12 million)
Winger – Lionel Messi (€40 million)
Winger – Vinicius Jr (€10 million)
Striker – Kylian Mbappe (€72 million)
Striker – Erling Haaland (€20 million)
Total salary: €223 million
Recently, Marca did a head-to-head battle to determine the best XI in world football with more than 100,000 fans taking part.
Courtois got the vote in goal and there can be very little arguments. He earns less than half of De Gea’s salary.
Hakimi is the first of the four players that feature in both XIs, with Real Madrid’s Militao and Barcelona’s Araújo picking up €7 million each in the heart of defence. Davies fits in at left back.
De Bruyne is the second player in both sides, along with Modric in central midfield. Messi and his €40 million salary is also in the ‘Best’ XI. The least-paid player in the XI is Vinicius Jr on ‘just’ €10 million per year. The Brazilian really needs to ask for a pay rise.
Mbappe is the fourth and final player that features in both teams with his €72 million salary. It makes Haaland could underpaid with his €20 million wages at Man City.
