CHINESE SUPER LEAGUE · MIDFIELDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Chinese Super League midfielders
Ibrahim Amadou is the best-paid midfielder in the Chinese Super League, on £42,000 a week at Shanghai Shenhua, or £2,184,000 a year. Matheus Jussa (Matheus Isaias dos Santos) is next on £27,000 at Chengdu Rongcheng. We hold wages for 98 Chinese Super League midfielders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £42k
AVERAGE WAGE £5,544
SHARE OF WAGE BILL18%
TOP 10 A WEEK £192k
WAGES HELD98
The 50 best-paid Chinese Super 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 | Ibrahim Amadou | £42,000£42k | £2,184,000£2.2m | Shanghai Shenhua | 32 | Defensive midfielder | France |
| 2 | Matheus Jussa (Matheus Isaias dos Santos) | £27,000£27k | £1,404,000£1.4m | Chengdu Rongcheng | 29 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 3 | Park Jin-Seob | £25,000£25k | £1,300,000£1.3m | Zhejiang FC | 29 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | South Korea |
| 4 | Dawhan | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Beijing Guo'an | 29 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 5 | Aitor Córdoba | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Tianjin Jinmen Tiger | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 6 | Caio Vinícius | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Yunnan Yukun | 26 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 7 | Wylan Cyprien | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Changchun Yatai | 30 | Defensive midfielder | France |
| 8 | Qian Jiegei | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Zhejiang FC | 33 | Defensive midfielder | Gabon |
| 9 | Romulo | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Chengdu Rongcheng | 29 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Brazil |
| 10 | Jaume Grau | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Shanghai Port | 28 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 11 | Deng Hanwen | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Yunnan Yukun | 30 | Right-back, right midfielder | China PR |
| 12 | Zhang Yuan (Yuan Zhang) | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Shanghai Port | 28 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | China PR |
| 13 | Lu Yongtao | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Shanghai Port | 25 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, striker | China PR |
| 14 | Zhang Linpeng | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Shanghai Port | 36 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 15 | Zhao Yuhao | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Yunnan Yukun | 32 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 16 | John Hou Sæter | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Yunnan Yukun | 27 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | China PR |
| 17 | Nico Yennaris | £9,000£9k | £468,000£468k | Shanghai Shenhua | 32 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 18 | Jiang Shenglong | £8,100£8k | £421,200£421k | Shanghai Shenhua | 24 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 19 | Samir Memisevic | £7,600£8k | £395,200£395k | Qingdao West Coast | 31 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| 20 | Gao Zhunyi | £7,200£7k | £374,400£374k | Shandong Taishan | 29 | Defender, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 21 | Mateus Vital (Mateus da Silva Vital Assunção) | £6,900£7k | £358,800£359k | Shanghai Port | 27 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Brazil |
| 22 | Chi Zhongguo | £6,400£6k | £332,800£333k | Beijing Guo'an | 35 | Defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 23 | Liao Lisheng | £6,000£6k | £312,000£312k | Chengdu Rongcheng | 32 | Defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 24 | Wu Xi (Xi Wu) | £6,000£6k | £312,000£312k | Shanghai Shenhua | 36 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | China PR |
| 25 | Zhang Yufeng | £6,000£6k | £312,000£312k | Yunnan Yukun | 27 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder | China PR |
| 26 | Xu Xin | £6,000£6k | £312,000£312k | Yunnan Yukun | 31 | Defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 27 | Li Songyi | £6,000£6k | £312,000£312k | Yunnan Yukun | 32 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 28 | Cristian Salvador | £5,400£5k | £280,800£281k | Tianjin Jinmen Tiger | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 29 | Yao Junsheng | £5,300£5k | £275,600£276k | Shenzhen Peng City | 29 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | China PR |
| 30 | Jeremy Dudziak | £5,100£5k | £265,200£265k | Beijing Guo'an | 29 | Left-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Germany |
| 31 | Li Lei | £5,000£5k | £260,000£260k | Beijing Guo'an | 33 | Left-back, left midfielder | China PR |
| 32 | Li Yuanyi | £5,000£5k | £260,000£260k | Shandong Taishan | 31 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | China PR |
| 33 | Isnik Alimi | £4,100£4k | £213,200£213k | Dalian Yingbo | 31 | Defensive midfielder | North Macedonia |
| 34 | Li Yang | £4,000£4k | £208,000£208k | Chengdu Rongcheng | 27 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 35 | Zhang Huachen | £4,000£4k | £208,000£208k | Dalian Yingbo | 27 | Defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 36 | Zhang Jiaqi | £4,000£4k | £208,000£208k | Zhejiang FC | 33 | Defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 37 | Malcom Edjouma | £3,900£4k | £202,800£203k | Qingdao Hainiu | 28 | Defensive midfielder | Morocco |
| 38 | Adriano | £3,500£4k | £182,000£182k | Wuhan Three Towns | 25 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 39 | Wang Shangyuan (Shangyuan Wang) | £3,400£3k | £176,800£177k | Henan FC | 32 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 40 | Xu Haoyang | £3,400£3k | £176,800£177k | Shanghai Shenhua | 26 | Left-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | China PR |
| 41 | Yi Teng | £3,300£3k | £171,600£172k | Yunnan Yukun | 35 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 42 | Guilherme Madruga | £3,200£3k | £166,400£166k | Shandong Taishan | 24 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 43 | Gao Tianyi | £3,200£3k | £166,400£166k | Shanghai Shenhua | 27 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | China PR |
| 44 | Mamadou Traoré | £2,900£3k | £150,800£151k | Dalian Yingbo | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Mali |
| 45 | Rezende | £2,700£3k | £140,400£140k | Qingdao West Coast | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 46 | Dilyimit | £2,400£2k | £124,800£125k | Changchun Yatai | 26 | Defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 47 | Wang Tong | £2,400£2k | £124,800£125k | Shandong Taishan | 32 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
| 48 | Wang Qiuming | £2,400£2k | £124,800£125k | Tianjin Jinmen Tiger | 32 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | China PR |
| 49 | Yue Tze Nam | £2,300£2k | £119,600£120k | Beijing Guo'an | 27 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Hong Kong |
| 50 | Yang Shiyuan | £2,300£2k | £119,600£120k | Shanghai Port | 31 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | China PR |
What each position earns in the Chinese Super League
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Midfielders take 18% of what the Chinese Super 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 Chinese Super League club, added together, a week
Shanghai Shenhua pay 9 midfielders £73,420 a week between them, and Ibrahim Amadou takes 57% of it.
The best-paid midfielder at every Chinese Super League club
15 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's midfielders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Shenhua | Ibrahim Amadou | £42,000£42k | 1 |
| Chengdu Rongcheng | Matheus Jussa (Matheus Isaias dos Santos) | £27,000£27k | 2 |
| Zhejiang FC | Park Jin-Seob | £25,000£25k | 3 |
| Yunnan Yukun | Caio Vinícius | £16,000£16k | 6 |
| Beijing Guo'an | Dawhan | £16,000£16k | 4 |
| Tianjin Jinmen Tiger | Aitor Córdoba | £16,000£16k | 5 |
| Changchun Yatai | Wylan Cyprien | £13,000£13k | 7 |
| Shanghai Port | Jaume Grau | £12,000£12k | 10 |
| Qingdao West Coast | Samir Memisevic | £7,600£8k | 19 |
| Shandong Taishan | Gao Zhunyi | £7,200£7k | 20 |
| Shenzhen Peng City | Yao Junsheng | £5,300£5k | 29 |
| Dalian Yingbo | Isnik Alimi | £4,100£4k | 33 |
| Qingdao Hainiu | Malcom Edjouma | £3,900£4k | 37 |
| Wuhan Three Towns | Adriano | £3,500£4k | 38 |
| Henan FC | Wang Shangyuan (Shangyuan Wang) | £3,400£3k | 39 |
The best-paid midfielder in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid midfielder. The Chinese Super League ranks 21st.
| 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 Chinese Super League?
Ibrahim Amadou of Shanghai Shenhua, on £42,000 a week in 2026/27, or £2,184,000 a year. Matheus Jussa (Matheus Isaias dos Santos) of Chengdu Rongcheng is second on £27,000 a week.
How much do Chinese Super League midfielders earn?
The average Chinese Super League midfielder aged 22 or over earns £5,544 a week, and the median one £3,400. Midfielders take 18% of what the Chinese Super League pays its players of that age.
Which Chinese Super League club pays its midfielders the most?
Shanghai Shenhua, £73,420 a week across the 9 midfielders we hold a wage for, led by Ibrahim Amadou on £42,000.
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 Chinese Super League ranks 21st of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Chinese Super League squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Chinese Super League players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Chinese Super League players are paid at every age, or the Chinese Super League wage bill, club by club.