Top 10 highest paid players in LaLiga 2024-25

Real Madrid’s new signing Kylian Mbappe stands behind two Barca superstars.

Putting an end to an eight-year-long transfer saga, Real Madrid CF broke the internet with the announcement of Kylian Mbappe’s arrival. The video of Mbappe recreating Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous “Vamos. Uno, Dos, Tres. Hala Madrid” moment in his unveiling ceremony has taken the Santiago Bernabeu by storm. From Instagram, YouTube and X to Facebook, this video has spread like wildfire across social media platforms, captivating fans worldwide with its electrifying energy and nostalgic homage to a football legend.

However, despite a record-breaking transfer of Kylian Mbappe to Los Blancos, two Blaugrana superstars still stand tall on the list ahead of Mbappe. This elite list of highest-paid LaLiga players features three Barca players, six from Los Blancos and a solitary player from Los Colchoneros.

If you are wondering which two Barca players managed to top the list ahead of Mbappe, stay tuned and stick with us till the end of this article. Tighten your seatbelts as we take you on an exciting rollercoaster ride to dive deep into LaLiga’s Wealthiest Footwork Magicians.

Disclaimer: All figures mentioned are before tax and do not include the array of bonuses.

10. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) – 14.5 Million USD

The 6 feet 7 inch Belgian international grabbed a lot of eyeballs after his name was omitted from Domenico Tedesco’s final squad for Euro 2024. Courtois is hailed as one of the best goalkeepers in the world in modern times. After winning LaLiga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Europa League with Atletico Madrid, Courtois switched to the London-based outfit, Chelsea, in the 2014-15 season.

After making over a century of appearances for the Blues, Courtois signed his new contract with Los Merengues in the 2018-19 season. He missed the majority of his playing time last season due to an ACL injury. Courtois played a crucial role in Real Madrid winning three LaLiga titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues in the last six years. He makes around 288 thousand USD per week, which equates to approximately 14.5 Million USD annually.

9. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) – 15 Million USD

There were rumours of Valverde making his move to the Saudi Pro League. However, the Uruguayan international put an end to all the speculations after he made it clear that even a blank cheque would not convince him to choose Saudi at this point in his career. He is enjoying his stint with Los Blancos.

Initially perceived as one of those unsung heroes for Los Vikingos, Valverde rose through the ranks to become one of the most important players for the Madrid-based outfit at present. Valverde has made over 175 appearances for Real Madrid and has found the back of the net on 14 occasions.

8. Ilkay Gundogan (FC Barcelona) – 16.6 Million USD

The former Manchester City captain was part of the historic treble-winning campaign for the Cityzens in the 2022/23 season. After rendering his services to the Sky Blues for more than seven years, Gundogan decided to make his impact in the Spanish top division. After joining FC Barcelona, his wage more than doubled from 162 thousand USD per week at Etihad to 360 thousand USD per week at Camp Nou.

The German international joined Barca on a two-year contract on a free transfer in 2023. He scored his maiden goal in the El Clasico against Real Madrid, giving an early lead to the home side. Despite his growing age and a not-so-successful debut season with Blaugrana, he is still considered one of the best midfielders of modern times. His former manager, Pep Guardiola, described him as “one of the best players he had worked with.”

7. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) – 18.7 Million USD

One of the top contenders to win the Ballon d’Or this year, Bellingham will resume his training with Los Blancos shortly after a disappointing loss in the EURO 2024 finals to Spain. Had Bellingham not been brave enough to score that bicycle goal against Slovakia in the dying seconds of the game, England would have never reached the finals of Euro 2024.

After making over 92 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham made his move to Los Vikingos in 2023. In his debut season with Real Madrid, he broke several records and won many accolades, both for himself and his club. With four goals, five assists, and a passing accuracy of 90.5%, Bellingham was named the UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season recently.

6. Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid) – 20.8 Million USD

Looking at the age of Real Madrid’s top players, we can assure that Los Blancos’ future is in safe hands. After a humiliating campaign with Brazil in Copa America 2024, Vinicius will be eager to get the ball rolling for Real Madrid in the upcoming season.

After triggering the 45 million USD release clause in his Flamengo contract, Real Madrid signed the promising talent from Sao Goncalo and made him one of the most expensive teenagers of all time. The Brazilian international has made over 176 appearances for Real and has found the back of the net on 49 occasions.

5. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) – 20.8 Million USD

Jan Oblak is the solitary player in this elite list who does not hail from Real Madrid or FC Barcelona. Widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Oblak has been the backbone of Indios since his move from Benfica B, a decade ago. The Slovenian international has made over 333 appearances for Atletico Madrid in ten years.

He played a massive role in Atletico’s LaLiga-winning campaign in the 2021-22 season. In 2019, he broke the club record of Abel Resino for most clean sheets with his 96th clean sheet in just 169 matches. The LaLiga Best Goalkeeper of the 2015-16 season was also inducted into the ESM Team of the Year in 2020-21. He is also the highest-paid goalkeeper in the world currently after Manuel Neuer.

4. David Alaba (Real Madrid) – 22.5 Million USD

David Alaba is the third highest-paid defender in the world after Kalidou Koulibaly and Aymeric Laporte, who both play in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr respectively. After rendering his services to Bayern Munich for over a decade, Alaba decided to join Los Blancos in 2021.

One of the greatest Austrian players of all time, Alaba was voted Austrian Footballer of the Year on nine occasions. Alaba has made over 67 appearances for Real Madrid. His overlapping runs in the left wing have proved to be a major threat for opposition teams.

Mi nueva casa. ¡Hala Madrid! 🏟️😍😃 @realmadrid pic.twitter.com/2XWvNTgNqQ

— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) July 17, 2024

3. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) – 31.2 Million USD

At just 25, Didier Deschamps handed over the captain’s armband to Kylian Mbappe, who led Les Bleus to a semi-final finish in the recent EURO 2024 campaign. Unarguably one of the best players in the world currently, Mbappe finally made his long-awaited move to Santiago Bernabeu last month.

Despite a significant pay cut, going from €1.38 million per week in Paris to €600,962 per week in Madrid, he will reportedly receive a €150 million signing-on bonus. It is believed that if the Golden Boot winner of the 2022 FIFA World Cup triggers all of the bonuses in his Madrid contract, he will earn a jaw-dropping 95 Million USD annually.

2. Robert Lewandowski (FC Barcelona) – 33.5 Million USD

The time has come to lift the curtain of suspense as we find out the two Barcelona players who left behind the French wonderkid to top this elite list. Following his artistic display to the Mia-San-Mia loyalists for eight long years, the Polish international decided to ply his trade in the Spanish top division.

The captain of the Poland national team earned €520,769 per week in 2023/24, which will rise to €640,962 per week for the 2024/25 campaign for FC Barcelona. He has so far played over 69 matches and netted 42 goals for the Azulgranas. As Hansi Flick’s side set its sights on redemption in the upcoming season, Lewandowski will be a key player to bring back those old golden days for the Culers.

1. Frenkie De Jong (FC Barcelona) – 37.5 Million USD

Topping this elite list of highest-paid footballers in LaLiga is Dutch international Frenkie De Jong. The 27-year-old from Gorinchem made his move to FC Barcelona in 2019 after rendering his services to Ajax for three long seasons. In 2022, he reportedly clarified some misconceptions about his awe-inspiring salary.

He said, “There have been many lies and falsehoods spread about my salary. 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.”

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.