BUNDESLIGA · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Bundesliga defenders
Dayot Upamecano is the best-paid defender in the Bundesliga, on £331,000 a week at FC Bayern München, or £17,212,000 a year. Joshua Kimmich is next on £315,000 at FC Bayern München. We hold wages for 221 Bundesliga defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £331k
AVERAGE WAGE £42,331
SHARE OF WAGE BILL35%
TOP 10 A WEEK £1.9m
WAGES HELD221
The 50 best-paid Bundesliga 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 | Dayot Upamecano | £331,000£331k | £17,212,000£17.2m | FC Bayern München | 26 | Centre-back | France |
| 2 | Joshua Kimmich | £315,000£315k | £16,380,000£16.4m | FC Bayern München | 30 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Germany |
| 3 | Jonathan Tah | £249,000£249k | £12,948,000£12.9m | FC Bayern München | 29 | Centre-back | Germany |
| 4 | Alphonso Davies | £249,000£249k | £12,948,000£12.9m | FC Bayern München | 24 | Left-back, left winger | Canada |
| 5 | Kim Min-Jae | £199,000£199k | £10,348,000£10.3m | FC Bayern München | 28 | Centre-back | South Korea |
| 6 | Konrad Laimer | £141,000£141k | £7,332,000£7.3m | FC Bayern München | 28 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Austria |
| 7 | Emre Can | £133,000£133k | £6,916,000£6.9m | Borussia Dortmund | 31 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Germany |
| 8 | Waldemar Anton | £116,000£116k | £6,032,000£6.0m | Borussia Dortmund | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Germany |
| 9 | Lucas Vázquez | £108,000£108k | £5,616,000£5.6m | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 34 | Right-back, right winger | Spain |
| 10 | Hiroki Itô | £108,000£108k | £5,616,000£5.6m | FC Bayern München | 26 | Centre-back | Japan |
| 11 | Lukas Klostermann | £108,000£108k | £5,616,000£5.6m | RB Leipzig | 29 | Defender | Germany |
| 12 | Castello Lukeba | £101,000£101k | £5,252,000£5.3m | RB Leipzig | 22 | Centre-back | France |
| 13 | David Raum | £101,000£101k | £5,252,000£5.3m | RB Leipzig | 27 | Left-back, left midfielder | Germany |
| 14 | Loïc Badé | £99,000£99k | £5,148,000£5.1m | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 25 | Centre-back | France |
| 15 | Josip Stanišic | £99,000£99k | £5,148,000£5.1m | FC Bayern München | 25 | Defender | Croatia |
| 16 | Ramy Bensebaïni | £97,000£97k | £5,044,000£5.0m | Borussia Dortmund | 30 | Centre-back | Algeria |
| 17 | Willi Orbán | £95,000£95k | £4,940,000£4.9m | RB Leipzig | 32 | Centre-back | Hungary |
| 18 | Benjamin Henrichs | £94,000£94k | £4,888,000£4.9m | RB Leipzig | 28 | Full-back | Germany |
| 19 | Robert Andrich | £89,000£89k | £4,628,000£4.6m | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Germany |
| 20 | Sven Bender | £86,000£86k | £4,472,000£4.5m | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 31 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder | Germany |
| 21 | Edmond Tapsoba | £85,000£85k | £4,420,000£4.4m | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 26 | Centre-back | Burkina Faso |
| 22 | Julian Ryerson | £83,000£83k | £4,316,000£4.3m | Borussia Dortmund | 27 | Full-back | Norway |
| 23 | Robin Koch | £81,000£81k | £4,212,000£4.2m | Eintracht Frankfurt | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Germany |
| 24 | Nico Schlotterbeck | £74,000£74k | £3,848,000£3.8m | Borussia Dortmund | 25 | Centre-back | Germany |
| 25 | Miguel Gutiérrez | £70,000£70k | £3,640,000£3.6m | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 23 | Left-back | Spain |
| 26 | Lars Bender | £70,000£70k | £3,640,000£3.6m | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 31 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder | Germany |
| 27 | Jarell Quansah | £66,000£66k | £3,432,000£3.4m | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 22 | Centre-back | England |
| 28 | Sacha Boey | £64,000£64k | £3,328,000£3.3m | FC Bayern München | 24 | Right-back | France |
| 29 | Ridle Baku | £64,000£64k | £3,328,000£3.3m | RB Leipzig | 27 | Right-back, right winger | Germany |
| 30 | Franck Honorat | £60,000£60k | £3,120,000£3.1m | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 28 | Right wing-back, attacking midfielder | France |
| 31 | Robin Gosens | £59,000£59k | £3,068,000£3.1m | FC Schalke 04 | 31 | Left-back, left midfielder | Germany |
| 32 | Borna Sosa | £53,000£53k | £2,756,000£2.8m | 1. FC Köln | 27 | Left-back, left midfielder | Croatia |
| 33 | David Møller Wolfe | £52,000£52k | £2,704,000£2.7m | Hamburger Sport-Verein | 23 | Left-back, left midfielder | Norway |
| 34 | Dan-Axel Zagadou | £52,000£52k | £2,704,000£2.7m | VfB Stuttgart | 26 | Centre-back | France |
| 35 | Nathan Tella | £49,000£49k | £2,548,000£2.5m | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | 26 | Right wing-back, attacking midfielder | Nigeria |
| 36 | Matthias Ginter | £49,000£49k | £2,548,000£2.5m | Sport-Club Freiburg | 31 | Centre-back | Germany |
| 37 | Maximilian Mittelstädt | £49,000£49k | £2,548,000£2.5m | VfB Stuttgart | 28 | Left-back | Germany |
| 38 | Sebastiaan Bornauw | £48,000£48k | £2,496,000£2.5m | Hamburger Sport-Verein | 26 | Centre-back | Belgium |
| 39 | Julian Chabot | £46,000£46k | £2,392,000£2.4m | VfB Stuttgart | 27 | Centre-back | Germany |
| 40 | Philipp Lienhart | £45,000£45k | £2,340,000£2.3m | Sport-Club Freiburg | 29 | Centre-back | Austria |
| 41 | Anthony Caci | £44,000£44k | £2,288,000£2.3m | 1. FSV Mainz 05 | 28 | Defender | France |
| 42 | Ameen Al-Dakhil | £44,000£44k | £2,288,000£2.3m | VfB Stuttgart | 23 | Centre-back | Belgium |
| 43 | Chrislain Matsima | £43,000£43k | £2,236,000£2.2m | FC Augsburg | 23 | Centre-back | France |
| 44 | Ko Itakura | £41,000£41k | £2,132,000£2.1m | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 45 | Josha Vagnoman | £41,000£41k | £2,132,000£2.1m | VfB Stuttgart | 24 | Full-back | Germany |
| 46 | Marco Friedl | £40,000£40k | £2,080,000£2.1m | SV Werder Bremen | 27 | Centre-back | Austria |
| 47 | Felix Uduokhai | £37,000£37k | £1,924,000£1.9m | 1. FC Union Berlin | 27 | Centre-back | Germany |
| 48 | Abdoul Koné | £36,000£36k | £1,872,000£1.9m | RB Leipzig | 20 | Centre-back | France |
| 49 | Alexander Prass | £36,000£36k | £1,872,000£1.9m | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | 24 | Left-back, attacking midfielder | Austria |
| 50 | Bernardo | £36,000£36k | £1,872,000£1.9m | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | 30 | Centre-back | Brazil |
What each position earns in the Bundesliga
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 35% of what the Bundesliga 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 Bundesliga club, added together, a week
FC Bayern München pay 11 defenders £1,789,500 a week between them, and Dayot Upamecano takes 18% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Bundesliga club
18 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Bayern München | Dayot Upamecano | £331,000£331k | 1 |
| Borussia Dortmund | Emre Can | £133,000£133k | 7 |
| Bayer 04 Leverkusen | Lucas Vázquez | £108,000£108k | 9 |
| RB Leipzig | Lukas Klostermann | £108,000£108k | 11 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | Robin Koch | £81,000£81k | 23 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | Franck Honorat | £60,000£60k | 30 |
| FC Schalke 04 | Robin Gosens | £59,000£59k | 31 |
| 1. FC Köln | Borna Sosa | £53,000£53k | 32 |
| VfB Stuttgart | Dan-Axel Zagadou | £52,000£52k | 34 |
| Hamburger Sport-Verein | David Møller Wolfe | £52,000£52k | 33 |
| Sport-Club Freiburg | Matthias Ginter | £49,000£49k | 36 |
| 1. FSV Mainz 05 | Anthony Caci | £44,000£44k | 41 |
| FC Augsburg | Chrislain Matsima | £43,000£43k | 43 |
| SV Werder Bremen | Marco Friedl | £40,000£40k | 46 |
| 1. FC Union Berlin | Felix Uduokhai | £37,000£37k | 47 |
| TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | Alexander Prass | £36,000£36k | 49 |
| SC Paderborn 07 | Felix Götze | £12,000£12k | 131 |
| SV Elversberg | Lukas Pinckert | £12,000£12k | 132 |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The Bundesliga ranks third.
| 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 the Bundesliga?
Dayot Upamecano of FC Bayern München, on £331,000 a week in 2026/27, or £17,212,000 a year. Joshua Kimmich of FC Bayern München is second on £315,000 a week.
How much do Bundesliga defenders earn?
The average Bundesliga defender aged 22 or over earns £42,331 a week, and the median one £27,000. Defenders take 35% of what the Bundesliga pays its players of that age.
Which Bundesliga club pays its defenders the most?
FC Bayern München, £1,789,500 a week across the 11 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Dayot Upamecano on £331,000.
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 the Bundesliga ranks third of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Bundesliga squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Bundesliga players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Bundesliga players are paid at every age, or the Bundesliga wage bill, club by club.