BRASILEIRÃO SÉRIE A · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Brasileirão Série A defenders
Guillermo Maripán is the best-paid defender in Brasileirão Série A, on £53,000 a week at Internacional, or £2,756,000 a year. Alex Sandro is next on £44,000 at Flamengo. We hold wages for 233 Brasileirão Série A defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £53k
AVERAGE WAGE £8,284
SHARE OF WAGE BILL25%
TOP 10 A WEEK £312k
WAGES HELD233
The 50 best-paid Brasileirão Série A defenders
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 | Guillermo Maripán | £53,000£53k | £2,756,000£2.8m | Internacional | 31 | Centre-back | Chile |
| 2 | Alex Sandro | £44,000£44k | £2,288,000£2.3m | Flamengo | 34 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 3 | Gustavo Gómez | £39,000£39k | £2,028,000£2.0m | Palmeiras | 32 | Centre-back | Paraguay |
| 4 | Thiago Silva | £36,000£36k | £1,872,000£1.9m | Fluminense | 40 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 5 | Domingos Duarte | £35,000£35k | £1,820,000£1.8m | São Paulo | 30 | Centre-back | Portugal |
| 6 | Caio Paulista | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | Palmeiras | 27 | Left-back, winger | Brazil |
| 7 | Guillermo Varela | £23,000£23k | £1,196,000£1.2m | Flamengo | 32 | Right-back | Uruguay |
| 8 | Danilo | £20,000£20k | £1,040,000£1.0m | Flamengo | 33 | Defender | Brazil |
| 9 | Léo Duarte | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | Atlético Mineiro | 28 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 10 | Guilherme Arana | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | Fluminense | 28 | Left-back, left midfielder | Brazil |
| 11 | Gabriel Paulista | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | Corinthians | 34 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 12 | Alex Telles | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | Botafogo | 32 | Left-back | Brazil |
| 13 | Paulo Henrique | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | Vasco da Gama | 28 | Right-back | Brazil |
| 14 | Léo Ortiz | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | Flamengo | 29 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 15 | Renan Lodi | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Atlético Mineiro | 27 | Left-back, left midfielder | Brazil |
| 16 | Iago Borduchi | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | EC Bahia | 28 | Left-back | Brazil |
| 17 | Emerson Royal | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Flamengo | 26 | Right-back | Brazil |
| 18 | Aurélio Buta | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | São Paulo | 28 | Right-back | Portugal |
| 19 | Gabriel Mercado | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Internacional | 38 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 20 | Alexandro Bernabéi | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Internacional | 24 | Left-back, left midfielder | Argentina |
| 21 | Ignacio | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Fluminense | 28 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 22 | Nahuel Ferraresi | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Botafogo | 26 | Centre-back | Venezuela |
| 23 | Enzo Díaz | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | São Paulo | 29 | Left-back | Argentina |
| 24 | Bruno Fuchs (Bruno de Lara Fuchs) | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Palmeiras | 26 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 25 | Joaquín Piquerez | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Palmeiras | 26 | Left-back | Uruguay |
| 26 | Alexander Barboza | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Palmeiras | 30 | Centre-back | Uruguay |
| 27 | André Ramalho | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Corinthians | 33 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 28 | Braian Aguirre | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Internacional | 24 | Full-back, right midfielder | Argentina |
| 29 | Walter Kannemann | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Grêmio | 34 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 30 | Dória | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | São Paulo | 30 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 31 | Matías Viña | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Flamengo | 27 | Left-back, left midfielder | Uruguay |
| 32 | Juan Pablo Freytes | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Fluminense | 25 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 33 | Lucas Veríssimo (Lucas Veríssimo da Silva) | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Santos | 30 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 34 | Rafael Toloi | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | São Paulo | 34 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 35 | Ángelo Preciado | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Atlético Mineiro | 27 | Right-back, right midfielder | Ecuador |
| 36 | Marlon | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Grêmio | 28 | Left-back | Brazil |
| 37 | Juninho Capixaba | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Red Bull Bragantino | 28 | Left-back | Brazil |
| 38 | Cédric Soares | £9,400£9k | £488,800£489k | São Paulo | 33 | Full-back | Portugal |
| 39 | Edenílson | £9,300£9k | £483,600£484k | Botafogo | 35 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder | Brazil |
| 40 | Fabián Balbuena | £9,300£9k | £483,600£484k | Grêmio | 33 | Centre-back | Paraguay |
| 41 | Gabriel Fuentes | £9,200£9k | £478,400£478k | Fluminense | 28 | Left-back | Colombia |
| 42 | Vitinho | £9,000£9k | £468,000£468k | Botafogo | 25 | Full-back, winger | Brazil |
| 43 | Robert Arboleda | £8,700£9k | £452,400£452k | São Paulo | 33 | Centre-back | Ecuador |
| 44 | Tomás Cardona | £8,600£9k | £447,200£447k | Fortaleza | 29 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 45 | Agustín Sant'Anna | £8,500£9k | £442,000£442k | Red Bull Bragantino | 27 | Full-back, right midfielder | Uruguay |
| 46 | Wagner Leonardo | £8,400£8k | £436,800£437k | Grêmio | 25 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 47 | Emanuel Brítez | £8,300£8k | £431,600£432k | Esporte Clube Vitória | 33 | Defender | Argentina |
| 48 | Santiago Sosa | £8,000£8k | £416,000£416k | Vasco da Gama | 26 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Argentina |
| 49 | Léo Pereira | £8,000£8k | £416,000£416k | Flamengo | 29 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 50 | Luciano Juba | £8,000£8k | £416,000£416k | EC Bahia | 25 | Left-back, attacking midfielder | Brazil |
What each position earns in Brasileirão Série A
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 25% of what Brasileirão Série A 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 defenders the most
Every defender wage we hold at each Brasileirão Série A club, added together, a week
Flamengo pay 10 defenders £153,608 a week between them, and Alex Sandro takes 29% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Brasileirão Série A club
23 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internacional | Guillermo Maripán | £53,000£53k | 1 |
| Flamengo | Alex Sandro | £44,000£44k | 2 |
| Palmeiras | Gustavo Gómez | £39,000£39k | 3 |
| Fluminense | Thiago Silva | £36,000£36k | 4 |
| São Paulo | Domingos Duarte | £35,000£35k | 5 |
| Corinthians | Gabriel Paulista | £19,000£19k | 11 |
| Atlético Mineiro | Léo Duarte | £19,000£19k | 9 |
| Botafogo | Alex Telles | £18,000£18k | 12 |
| Vasco da Gama | Paulo Henrique | £18,000£18k | 13 |
| EC Bahia | Iago Borduchi | £16,000£16k | 16 |
| Grêmio | Walter Kannemann | £12,000£12k | 29 |
| Santos | Lucas Veríssimo (Lucas Veríssimo da Silva) | £11,000£11k | 33 |
| Red Bull Bragantino | Juninho Capixaba | £10,000£10k | 37 |
| Fortaleza | Tomás Cardona | £8,600£9k | 44 |
| Esporte Clube Vitória | Emanuel Brítez | £8,300£8k | 47 |
| Coritiba | Maicon | £7,900£8k | 53 |
| Clube do Remo | Matheus Alexandre (Matheus Alexandre Anastácio de Souza) | £7,900£8k | 52 |
| Athletico Paranaense | Gastón Benavídez | £7,200£7k | 68 |
| Ceará | Luiz Otávio | £7,000£7k | 74 |
| Sport Recife | Marcelo Benevenuto | £6,900£7k | 82 |
| Associação Chapecoense de Futebol | Fernando | £3,300£3k | 122 |
| Cruzeiro Esporte Clube SAF | Gustavo | £93£93 | 189 |
| Mirassol Futebol Clube | No wage held | - | - |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. Brasileirão Série A ranks 16th.
| LEAGUE | BEST PAID | WEEKLY | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Pro League | Kalidou Koulibaly | £497,000£497k | £40,351£40k |
| Premier League | Virgil van Dijk | £350,000£350k | £69,840£70k |
| Bundesliga | Dayot Upamecano | £331,000£331k | £42,331£42k |
| Ligue 1 | Lucas Hernández | £316,000£316k | £27,702£28k |
| La Liga | João Cancelo | £249,000£249k | £37,418£37k |
| Serie A | John Stones | £200,000£200k | £36,415£36k |
| Süper Lig | Milan Škriniar | £166,000£166k | £15,078£15k |
| Superleague Greece | Stefan de Vrij | £117,000£117k | £10,420£10k |
| Championship | Kieran Trippier | £115,000£115k | £18,082£18k |
| Eredivisie | Lutsharel Geertruida | £99,000£99k | £8,088£8k |
| Major League Soccer | Jordi Alba | £85,000£85k | £7,805£8k |
| Scottish Premiership | Ben Godfrey | £80,000£80k | £5,860£6k |
| Primeira Liga | Jakub Kiwior | £58,000£58k | £5,910£6k |
| La Liga 2 | David López | £58,000£58k | £4,473£4k |
| Russian Premier League | Matheus Reis | £57,000£57k | £12,772£13k |
| Brasileirão Série A | Guillermo Maripán | £53,000£53k | £8,284£8k |
| Belgian Pro League | Matteo Dams | £49,000£49k | £5,133£5k |
| League One | Wes Morgan | £46,000£46k | £5,700£6k |
| 2. Bundesliga | Yannick Gerhardt | £42,000£42k | £8,296£8k |
| Super Liga | Nicolás Otamendi | £41,000£41k | £3,253£3k |
| Danish Superliga | Rasmus Kristensen | £39,000£39k | £5,418£5k |
| Ekstraklasa | Attila Szalai | £36,000£36k | £2,883£3k |
| Serie B | Federico Baschirotto | £33,000£33k | £6,876£7k |
| Czech First League | David Jurásek | £29,000£29k | £1,857£2k |
| Chinese Super League | Matheus Jussa (Matheus Isaias dos Santos) | £27,000£27k | £4,788£5k |
| Liga MX | Kenedy | £25,000£25k | £6,926£7k |
| Austrian Bundesliga | Stefan Lainer | £21,000£21k | £4,095£4k |
| Ligue 2 | Frédéric Guilbert | £18,000£18k | £4,556£5k |
| J1 League | Gotoku Sakai | £15,000£15k | £3,457£3k |
| Croatian First League | Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel | £15,000£15k | £2,078£2k |
| Thai League | Erik Sviatchenko | £14,000£14k | £2,172£2k |
| Eliteserien | Hrannar Snær Magnússon | £13,000£13k | £1,630£2k |
| Belgian Challenger Pro League | Thomas Foket | £8,600£9k | £1,529£2k |
| League Two | Alfie Dorrington | £8,500£9k | £2,352£2k |
| Categoría Primera A | Frank Fabra | £8,300£8k | £3,994£4k |
| Scottish Championship | Leon King | £8,000£8k | £952£952 |
| A-League | Jacob Farrell | £6,100£6k | £1,262£1k |
| Indian Super League | Anwar Ali | £4,500£5k | £595£595 |
| National League | Jake Rooney | £4,100£4k | £1,165£1k |
| I-League | Jamie McCart | £4,100£4k | £547£547 |
| Veikkausliiga | Alfie Cicale | £2,500£3k | £646£646 |
| Canadian Premier League | Curtis Ofori | £1,400£1k | £443£443 |
| Meistriliiga | Modou Tambedou | £484£484 | £152£152 |
Frequently asked questions
Who is the highest paid defender in Brasileirão Série A?
Guillermo Maripán of Internacional, on £53,000 a week in 2026/27, or £2,756,000 a year. Alex Sandro of Flamengo is second on £44,000 a week.
How much do Brasileirão Série A defenders earn?
The average Brasileirão Série A defender aged 22 or over earns £8,284 a week, and the median one £7,000. Defenders take 25% of what Brasileirão Série A pays its players of that age.
Which Brasileirão Série A club pays its defenders the most?
Flamengo, £153,608 a week across the 10 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Alex Sandro on £44,000.
Who is the highest paid defender in football?
Of the 43 men's leagues we rank defenders in, the best-paid is Kalidou Koulibaly of Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club in the Saudi Pro League, on £497,000 a week. The best-paid in Brasileirão Série A ranks 16th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Brasileirão Série A squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Brasileirão Série A players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Brasileirão Série A players are paid at every age, or Brasileirão Série A wage bill, club by club.