Erling Haaland leads Europe’s highest-paid footballers at an estimated £525,000 a week, with Mbappé and Kane also among the biggest earners

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland leads the list of Europe’s highest-paid footballers on an estimated £525,000 per week, according to Capology salary estimates published in August 2026, with Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane among the leading earners across England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.

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The figures underline the extraordinary financial scale of Europe’s leading leagues, although they should be treated as estimates rather than official club disclosures. Capology says its figures generally represent gross fixed salaries and exclude bonuses and other additional earnings.

Haaland’s estimated £525,000 weekly wage places him comfortably at the top of the Premier League rankings. That equates to about £27.3m a year before bonuses.

The 25-year-old Manchester City forward’s current Capology profile lists his contract as running until June 2034, with an estimated remaining gross salary of £218.4m, excluding bonuses.

Premier League

Haaland is followed by Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, whose estimated weekly salary stands at £350,000.

Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish and Arsenal captain Bukayo Saka are each listed at £300,000 a week.

Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush is estimated at £295,000, while Liverpool forward Alexander Isak, Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden and Arsenal forward Kai Havertz are each listed at £280,000.

The figures illustrate the remarkable earning power of established Premier League stars, with the competition’s leading wages continuing to reflect the commercial strength of English football.

La Liga

Real Madrid’s financial muscle is also evident in Spain.

Capology’s current La Liga data places Kylian Mbappé at the top, with an estimated gross fixed salary of €31.25m per season, equivalent to €600,962 per week before bonuses.

The French forward is followed by Real Madrid team-mate Vinícius Júnior, while Jan Oblak, Jude Bellingham and Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal are also among the division’s leading earners.

The presence of Yamal among the highest-paid players is particularly striking given his age and the speed with which his value has risen at Barcelona.

Bundesliga

Bayern Munich dominate Germany’s salary rankings, led by Harry Kane.

The England captain is estimated to earn £411,000 per week, with team-mate Jamal Musiala next on £375,000.

Joshua Kimmich follows on £329,000, while Dayot Upamecano and veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer are also among Bayern’s highest earners.

The Bavarian club’s dominance of the list reflects its long-standing position as Germany’s financial heavyweight and its ability to retain elite players.

Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance is even more pronounced in France, with the club supplying all 10 players listed among Ligue 1’s highest earners in the figures provided.

Ousmane Dembélé leads the group on an estimated £299,000 per week, followed by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on £269,000.

Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos and Lucas Hernández are also among PSG’s leading earners, followed by Vitinha, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho and João Neves.

Serie A

Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martínez tops Italy’s rankings at an estimated £274,000 per week.

His Inter team-mate Nicolò Barella follows on £198,000, while Hakan Çalhanoğlu is listed at £183,000.

Juventus pair Jonathan David and Kenan Yıldız, together with Napoli’s Kevin De Bruyne, are also estimated at £183,000 per week.

Randal Kolo Muani, Alessandro Bastoni, Christopher Nkunku and Rasmus Højlund complete the reported top 10.

Across the five leagues, the numbers reveal a substantial wage gap. The Premier League and La Liga remain particularly powerful markets for elite salaries, while Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A operate at lower levels within the reported top 10 averages.

There is also an important caveat to the figures. Capology explicitly states that its salary numbers are estimates and do not represent official figures.

Its methodology combines publicly reported information, sources close to the organisation and estimates derived from club financial data, meaning individual figures can change as contracts and reporting are updated.

The ranking therefore offers a useful snapshot of football’s extraordinary wage economy rather than a definitive record of every player’s total income.

Bonuses, image rights, commercial agreements and other benefits can substantially alter a player’s overall earnings.

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For now, however, Haaland’s £525,000-a-week estimate puts the Manchester City striker at the summit of this particular financial table, underlining the powerful premium placed on elite goalscoring talent.