20 Highest-Paid Footballers in Europe’s Top 5 Leagues

The top-earning players in the top five European leagues have been revealed, with a lot of big names now being absent due to the emerging force of the Saudi Pro League.

The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema would have been towards the top of this list in 2023 until they made their moves to the Middle East. With astronomical figures being thrown about in that part of the world for football players, the aforementioned names are certainly better paid than the top names on this list.

Lionel Messi has also made a departure from the European game last year, although the 37-year-old opted to move to the MLS rather than the Saudi Arabian league. Messi has been among the top earners in the world for more than a decade, and had this been a world ranking, he would be towards the top of the list once more.

The absence of these names has left room for other players to make their way into the top 20 earners across the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1. These are still regarded as the top five divisions on the continent, although it has to be said that only one Serie A player makes the cut.