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By Peter Akinbo
Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, is the highest-paid footballer in Serie A with his recent Napoli contract and bonuses seeing him rise above Juventus forward in the Italian topflight earnings chart, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Osimhen, who joined Napoli from Lille in 2020, signed a new contract in December that earns him a monthly salary of £1.29m, almost doubling his previous earnings.
Paris Saint-Germain forward, Kylian Mbappe, is the best-paid player with an eye watering monthly take home of £5.15 million.
Osimhen’s new salary was a reward for his performance in the 2022/23 season where he inspired Napoli to a first Serie A title in 33 years and he also capped it off with the league topscorer award after scoring 26 league goals.
Napoli reportedly refused an offer of more than €200m for Osimhen from a team in Saudi Arabia last summer. The 25-year-old was signed from Lille in 2020 for a fee of around €75m and the Nigeria international has gone on to establish himself as one of the most exciting strikers in the world.
But who are the top earners in each of Europe’s top five leagues? PUNCH Sports Extra has taken a deep dive into the figures to find that out. All figures presented are taken from Capology (salary website on each player in the world)
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne is the highest earner in the Premier League earning a £400,000 weekly wage while in La Liga, Frenkie De Jong tops with a £615,682 wage.
Just arriving in the Bayern this summer, Harry Kane is the highest earner in the German topflight with a wage of £410,455 per week. Osimhen is the highest earner in Serie A with £253,005 per week while Mbappe is the highest earner in the French Ligue 1 and also in Europe’s top five leagues with a £1,182,110 weekly wage.
Serie A top five earners
Highest Earner – Victor Osimhen
Osimhen, who joined Napoli from Lille in 2020, signed a new contract in December that earns him a weekly wage of £253,005 almost doubling his previous earnings.
Juventus’ talisman Dusan Vlahovic takes the second spot in the Italian top flight. When the Old Lady secured his services from Fiorentina, the Serb was seen as Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-term replacement. Perhaps still yet to live up to the lofty standards set by the aforementioned Portuguese great, having registered 35 goals and a further eight assists for his current employers.
His fellow Juventus teammates Wojciech Szczesny (£197,675) and Alex Sandro (£182,406) both make the top five Serie A earners, too, and one of the league’s most underrated assets Hakan Calhanoglu, who pockets £182,406, per week.
Premier League top five earners
Highest Earner – Kevin De Bruyne
All you need to do is take Kevin De Bruyne out of Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up and you’ll see how important he is to everything they muster going forward. After failing to stamp his authority at Stamford Bridge earlier in his career, the pale-faced Belgian tipped up to the Etihad Stadium – and eyebrows were raised.
He has done everything in his power, however, to silence the critics. A midfield magician capable of picking out a marauding forward, most notably Erling Haaland, on a sixpence. He may earn £400,000 per week, but given the creativity-inspired exploits that he shows in all but every outing, he is worth every penny in the eyes of the Manchester City hierarchy. It’s pretty hard to argue against the idea that he should earn more than his peers.
Players in Manchester clubs dominate the top five highest earners in the English topflight as Erling Haaland earning £375,000 per week and £19.5m per year comes second to teammate in Man City De Bruyne who makes £20.8m per year. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is third in the list earning £350,000 per week.
Manchester United players round out the top five with Casemiro and Raphael Varane earning £350,000 per week and £340,000 respectively.
La Liga top five earners
Highest Earner – Frenkie De Jong
Perennially linked to Premier League outfit Manchester United, Frenkie De Jong – who worked under Red Devils chief Erik ten Hag at Ajax – has forged a wonderful career, all while earning a pretty penny. Ten Hag could get a second bite at the cherry, given Barcelona are mulling over whether to sell the Dutchman, but any would-be buyer will have to get the chequebook out to work out how to pay his wages worth £615,682 per week.
De Jong was one of the most sought-after midfielders in world football after being an integral part of Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018 and opted for the basking sun of Catalonia. He’s been a mainstay in the centre of the park for them ever since – but could up and leave in search of a new challenge this summer.
Behind De Jong is teammate Robert Lewandowski who earns £444,605 per week and a wage total of £23.1m yearly.
Real Madrid trio Toni Kroos, David Alaba and Luka Modric complete the top fove with £400,276, £369,409 and £359,230 earned per week respectively.
Bundesliga top five earners
Highest Earner – Harry Kane
The long-awaited replacement for Robert Lewandowski, Tottenham Hotspur and England’s all-time top goalscorer, Harry Kane, has hit the ground running at Bayern Munich. Having notched 31 goals in his opening 27 domestic appearances under Thomas Tuchel, it’s safe to say that the large sum of money spent on his signature has paid dividends, as is the £410,455 paid into his bank account every week.
A well-rounded striker, who has shown his ability to drop deep, score countless goals and link play with the midfield bank of Bayern, Kane has emerged as one of the best British-born exports to ply their trade overseas. His teammates Manuel Neuer (£344,782), Thomas Muller (£336,573), Leroy Sane (£328,364) and Joshua Kimmich (£320,155) follow as the Bundesliga’s top five earners.
Ligue 1 top five earners
Highest Earner – Kylian Mbappe
Who else other than Paris Saint-Germain ace Kylian Mbappe? The French forward, 25, has been a constant thorn in Ligue 1 defences since emerging from Monaco’s youth set-up in 2016. A permanent move to the country’s biggest club came to fruition in 2018 and he has been on red-hot form since.
After reportedly choosing to join Real Madrid in the summer, it will leave the door ajar for Ousmane Dembele – another PSG star – to become the division’s highest-paid player as he currently sits second earning £328,364.
Expectedly, it is Luis Enrique’s side who boast the top five highest earners in France’s top flight with Lucas Hernandez (£311,946), Marquinhos (£275,826) and Milan Skriniar (£268,602) earning the big bucks at Parc des Princes.