A-LEAGUE · MIDFIELDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid A-League midfielders
Jake Girdwood-Reich is the best-paid midfielder in the A-League, on £4,100 a week at Auckland Football Club, or £213,200 a year. Anselmo is next on £3,500 at Adelaide United. We hold wages for 66 A-League midfielders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £4k
AVERAGE WAGE £1,219
SHARE OF WAGE BILL14%
TOP 10 A WEEK £26k
WAGES HELD66
The 50 best-paid A-League midfielders
Weekly wage, 2026/27. A player who plays in two areas of the pitch is on both lists, at the full wage.
| # | PLAYER | WEEKLY | YEARLY | CLUB | AGE | POSITION | NATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake Girdwood-Reich | £4,100£4k | £213,200£213k | Auckland Football Club | 21 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 2 | Anselmo | £3,500£4k | £182,000£182k | Adelaide United | 36 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 3 | Jake Brimmer | £3,100£3k | £161,200£161k | Auckland Football Club | 27 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Malta |
| 4 | Josh Brillante | £3,100£3k | £161,200£161k | Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club | 32 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 5 | Denis Genreau | £2,400£2k | £124,800£125k | Melbourne Victory Football Club | 26 | Central midfielder | Australia |
| 6 | James McGarry | £2,100£2k | £109,200£109k | Brisbane Roar Football Club | 27 | Left-back, left midfielder | New Zealand |
| 7 | Jay O'Shea | £2,100£2k | £109,200£109k | Brisbane Roar Football Club | 36 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Ireland |
| 8 | Louis D'Arrigo | £2,000£2k | £104,000£104k | Melbourne Victory Football Club | 23 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 9 | Paulo Retre | £1,800£2k | £93,600£94k | Wellington Phoenix Football Club | 32 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 10 | Ryan Kitto | £1,700£2k | £88,400£88k | Adelaide United | 30 | Left-back, left midfielder | Australia |
| 11 | Rhyan Grant | £1,700£2k | £88,400£88k | Sydney Football Club | 34 | Right-back, central midfielder | Australia |
| 12 | Alessandro Lopane | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Melbourne City FC | 21 | Central midfielder | Australia |
| 13 | Aziz Behich | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Melbourne City FC | 34 | Left-back, left midfielder | Australia |
| 14 | Brandon O'Neill | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Perth Glory Football Club | 31 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 15 | Alex Rufer | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Wellington Phoenix Football Club | 29 | Defensive midfielder | New Zealand |
| 16 | Bill Tuiloma | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Wellington Phoenix Football Club | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | New Zealand |
| 17 | Angus Thurgate | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club | 25 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Australia |
| 18 | Corey Hollman | £1,400£1k | £72,800£73k | Sydney Football Club | 21 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 19 | Dylan Scicluna | £1,400£1k | £72,800£73k | Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club | 21 | Defensive midfielder | Malta |
| 20 | Jay Barnett | £1,100£1k | £57,200£57k | Adelaide United | 24 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 21 | Jordi Valadon | £1,100£1k | £57,200£57k | Melbourne Victory Football Club | 22 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 22 | Luke Brattan | £892£892 | £46,384£46k | Macarthur Football Club | 35 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 23 | Tomislav Uskok | £870£870 | £45,240£45k | Macarthur Football Club | 34 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 24 | Antonee Burke-Gilroy | £718£718 | £37,336£37k | Brisbane Roar Football Club | 27 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 25 | Alfie McCalmont | £714£714 | £37,128£37k | Central Coast Mariners | 25 | Defensive midfielder | Northern Ireland |
| 26 | Bradley Tapp | £704£704 | £36,608£37k | Central Coast Mariners | 24 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 27 | Ben Garuccio | £704£704 | £36,608£37k | Sydney Football Club | 30 | Left-back, left midfielder | Australia |
| 28 | Chris Donnell | £694£694 | £36,088£36k | Central Coast Mariners | 21 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Australia |
| 29 | Callum Timmins | £694£694 | £36,088£36k | Perth Glory Football Club | 25 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 30 | Charbel Shamoon | £694£694 | £36,088£36k | Perth Glory Football Club | 21 | Right-back, wide midfielder | Iraq |
| 31 | Dan Edwards | £684£684 | £35,568£36k | Wellington Phoenix Football Club | 26 | Left-back, central midfielder | New Zealand |
| 32 | Paul Okon | £679£679 | £35,308£35k | Sydney Football Club | 20 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 33 | Ethan Alagich | £674£674 | £35,048£35k | Adelaide United | 21 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Australia |
| 34 | Harry Steele | £644£644 | £33,488£33k | Central Coast Mariners | 22 | Central midfielder | Australia |
| 35 | Jordan Lauton | £624£624 | £32,448£32k | Brisbane Roar Football Club | 22 | Central midfielder | Australia |
| 36 | Kristian Popovic | £614£614 | £31,928£32k | Macarthur Football Club | 23 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 37 | Kazuki Nagasawa | £614£614 | £31,928£32k | Wellington Phoenix Football Club | 33 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Japan |
| 38 | Steven Ugarkovic | £608£608 | £31,616£32k | Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club | 31 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 39 | Luke Duzel | £604£604 | £31,408£31k | Adelaide United | 23 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Australia |
| 40 | Lucas Mauragis | £604£604 | £31,408£31k | Central Coast Mariners | 23 | Left-back, left midfielder | Australia |
| 41 | Liam Rose | £604£604 | £31,408£31k | Macarthur Football Club | 28 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 42 | Matthew Dench | £594£594 | £30,888£31k | Brisbane Roar Football Club | 21 | Left-back, central midfielder | Australia |
| 43 | Milorad Stajić | £594£594 | £30,888£31k | Brisbane Roar Football Club | 23 | Defensive midfielder | Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| 44 | Matt Sheridan | £594£594 | £30,888£31k | Wellington Phoenix Football Club | 21 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | New Zealand |
| 45 | Nicholas Pennington | £584£584 | £30,368£30k | Perth Glory Football Club | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 46 | Phillip Čančar | £564£564 | £29,328£29k | Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club | 24 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 47 | Samuel Klein | £534£534 | £27,768£28k | Brisbane Roar Football Club | 21 | Central midfielder | Australia |
| 48 | Ben van Dorssen | £532£532 | £27,664£28k | Newcastle Jets FC | 20 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 49 | Christian Bracco | £522£522 | £27,144£27k | Newcastle Jets FC | 21 | Defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 50 | Fin Conchie | £494£494 | £25,688£26k | Wellington Phoenix Football Club | 21 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | New Zealand |
What each position earns in the A-League
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Midfielders take 14% of what the A-League pays its players of that age. The four shares add up to the whole bill, because a player who plays in two areas gives half the wage to each.
The clubs that pay their midfielders the most
Every midfielder wage we hold at each A-League club, added together, a week
Brisbane Roar Football Club pay 10 midfielders £8,431 a week between them, and James McGarry takes 25% of it.
The best-paid midfielder at every A-League club
12 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's midfielders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland Football Club | Jake Girdwood-Reich | £4,100£4k | 1 |
| Adelaide United | Anselmo | £3,500£4k | 2 |
| Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club | Josh Brillante | £3,100£3k | 4 |
| Melbourne Victory Football Club | Denis Genreau | £2,400£2k | 5 |
| Brisbane Roar Football Club | James McGarry | £2,100£2k | 6 |
| Wellington Phoenix Football Club | Paulo Retre | £1,800£2k | 9 |
| Sydney Football Club | Rhyan Grant | £1,700£2k | 11 |
| Perth Glory Football Club | Brandon O'Neill | £1,500£2k | 14 |
| Melbourne City FC | Alessandro Lopane | £1,500£2k | 12 |
| Macarthur Football Club | Luke Brattan | £892£892 | 22 |
| Central Coast Mariners | Alfie McCalmont | £714£714 | 25 |
| Newcastle Jets FC | Ben van Dorssen | £532£532 | 48 |
The best-paid midfielder in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid midfielder. The A-League ranks 40th.
| LEAGUE | BEST PAID | WEEKLY | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Pro League | Otávio | £472,000£472k | £49,687£50k |
| Süper Lig | N'Golo Kanté | £348,000£348k | £21,488£21k |
| Bundesliga | Joshua Kimmich | £315,000£315k | £39,483£39k |
| Premier League | Bruno Fernandes | £300,000£300k | £76,710£77k |
| Major League Soccer | Casemiro | £300,000£300k | £11,731£12k |
| Ligue 1 | Marquinhos | £279,000£279k | £30,015£30k |
| La Liga | Trent Alexander-Arnold | £249,000£249k | £40,838£41k |
| Serie A | John Stones | £200,000£200k | £44,528£45k |
| Primeira Liga | João Palhinha | £199,000£199k | £11,158£11k |
| Championship | Kalvin Phillips | £165,000£165k | £20,131£20k |
| Croatian First League | Ismaël Bennacer | £117,000£117k | £4,206£4k |
| Brasileirão Série A | Arthur | £99,000£99k | £10,842£11k |
| Eredivisie | Lutsharel Geertruida | £99,000£99k | £9,142£9k |
| 2. Bundesliga | Maximilian Arnold | £74,000£74k | £11,170£11k |
| Russian Premier League | Wendel | £71,000£71k | £16,664£17k |
| Liga MX | Carlos Gruezo | £64,000£64k | £6,811£7k |
| League One | Boubakary Soumaré | £58,000£58k | £6,405£6k |
| Serie B | Ali Al Musrati | £55,000£55k | £8,344£8k |
| La Liga 2 | Donny van de Beek | £54,000£54k | £5,199£5k |
| Super Liga | Leandro Paredes | £44,000£44k | £4,100£4k |
| Chinese Super League | Ibrahim Amadou | £42,000£42k | £5,544£6k |
| Scottish Premiership | Callum McGregor | £39,000£39k | £5,790£6k |
| J1 League | Oriol Romeu | £35,000£35k | £4,063£4k |
| Danish Superliga | Philip Billing | £35,000£35k | £7,123£7k |
| Superleague Greece | Christos Zafeiris | £33,000£33k | £7,533£8k |
| Czech First League | Sivert Mannsverk | £33,000£33k | £2,010£2k |
| Belgian Pro League | László Bénes | £25,000£25k | £6,702£7k |
| Ekstraklasa | Karol Linetty | £25,000£25k | £3,410£3k |
| Ligue 2 | Ibou Sissoko | £21,000£21k | £4,966£5k |
| Austrian Bundesliga | Bendegúz Bolla | £20,000£20k | £3,500£4k |
| Belgian Challenger Pro League | Mats Rits | £16,000£16k | £2,048£2k |
| Eliteserien | Hrannar Snær Magnússon | £13,000£13k | £2,231£2k |
| League Two | Joe Williams | £12,000£12k | £2,560£3k |
| Categoría Primera A | Élan Ricardo | £11,000£11k | £3,852£4k |
| Thai League | Roque Mesa | £8,000£8k | £2,247£2k |
| Indian Super League | Lalengmawia | £5,500£6k | £707£707 |
| Veikkausliiga | Alexander Ring | £4,500£5k | £708£708 |
| Scottish Championship | Graeme Shinnie | £4,200£4k | £907£907 |
| National League | Jake Rooney | £4,100£4k | £1,293£1k |
| A-League | Jake Girdwood-Reich | £4,100£4k | £1,219£1k |
| I-League | Jordi Altena | £3,100£3k | £364£364 |
| Canadian Premier League | Manuel Aparicio | £810£810 | £458£458 |
| Meistriliiga | Modou Tambedou | £484£484 | £161£161 |
Frequently asked questions
Who is the highest paid midfielder in the A-League?
Jake Girdwood-Reich of Auckland Football Club, on £4,100 a week in 2026/27, or £213,200 a year. Anselmo of Adelaide United is second on £3,500 a week.
How much do A-League midfielders earn?
The average A-League midfielder aged 22 or over earns £1,219 a week, and the median one £794. Midfielders take 14% of what the A-League pays its players of that age.
Which A-League club pays its midfielders the most?
Brisbane Roar Football Club, £8,431 a week across the 10 midfielders we hold a wage for, led by James McGarry on £2,100.
Who is the highest paid midfielder in football?
Of the 43 men's leagues we rank midfielders in, the best-paid is Otávio of Al-Qadsiah Football Club in the Saudi Pro League, on £472,000 a week. The best-paid in the A-League ranks 40th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same A-League squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid A-League players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what A-League players are paid at every age, or the A-League wage bill, club by club.