EKSTRAKLASA · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Ekstraklasa defenders
Attila Szalai is the best-paid defender in the Ekstraklasa, on £36,000 a week at Pogoń Szczecin, or £1,872,000 a year. Alejandro Pozo is next on £16,000 at Jagiellonia Białystok. We hold wages for 179 Ekstraklasa defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £36k
AVERAGE WAGE £2,883
SHARE OF WAGE BILL27%
TOP 10 A WEEK £123k
WAGES HELD179
The 50 best-paid Ekstraklasa 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 | Attila Szalai | £36,000£36k | £1,872,000£1.9m | Pogoń Szczecin | 27 | Centre-back | Hungary |
| 2 | Alejandro Pozo | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Jagiellonia Białystok | 26 | Right-back, right winger | Spain |
| 3 | Damian Szymanski | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Legia Warszawa | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Poland |
| 4 | Steve Kapuadi | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Widzew Łódź | 27 | Centre-back | Congo - Kinshasa |
| 5 | Rúben Vinagre | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Legia Warszawa | 26 | Left-back | Portugal |
| 6 | Robert Gumny | £7,700£8k | £400,400£400k | Lech Poznań | 27 | Right-back | Poland |
| 7 | Arkadiusz Reca | £6,500£7k | £338,000£338k | Legia Warszawa | 30 | Left-back, left midfielder | Poland |
| 8 | Christopher Cheng | £6,400£6k | £332,800£333k | Widzew Łódź | 23 | Left-back, winger | Norway |
| 9 | Maximilian Dietz | £5,900£6k | £306,800£307k | Górnik Zabrze | 23 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | United States |
| 10 | Patryk Kun | £5,800£6k | £301,600£302k | Wisła Płock | 30 | Left-back, left winger | Poland |
| 11 | Fran Tudor | £5,300£5k | £275,600£276k | Raków Częstochowa | 29 | Centre-back | Croatia |
| 12 | Zoran Arsenić | £5,000£5k | £260,000£260k | Legia Warszawa | 31 | Centre-back | Croatia |
| 13 | Terry Yegbe | £4,600£5k | £239,200£239k | Lech Poznań | 24 | Centre-back | Ghana |
| 14 | Benjamin Mendy | £4,500£5k | £234,000£234k | Pogoń Szczecin | 30 | Left-back | France |
| 15 | Arvid Brorsson | £4,500£5k | £234,000£234k | Raków Częstochowa | 26 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Sweden |
| 16 | Dominik Baumgartner | £4,400£4k | £228,800£229k | Cracovia | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Austria |
| 17 | Jakub Czerwiński | £4,100£4k | £213,200£213k | Piast Gliwice | 33 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 18 | Kamil Piątkowski | £4,000£4k | £208,000£208k | Legia Warszawa | 25 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 19 | Linus Wahlqvist | £4,000£4k | £208,000£208k | Pogoń Szczecin | 28 | Centre-back | Sweden |
| 20 | Marc Llinares | £3,900£4k | £202,800£203k | Śląsk Wrocław | 25 | Left-back | Spain |
| 21 | Mariusz Malec | £3,900£4k | £202,800£203k | Śląsk Wrocław | 30 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 22 | Petar Stojanović | £3,800£4k | £197,600£198k | Legia Warszawa | 29 | Right-back, right midfielder | Slovenia |
| 23 | Pawel Wszolek | £3,800£4k | £197,600£198k | Legia Warszawa | 33 | Right-back, right winger | Poland |
| 24 | Rafał Augustyniak | £3,700£4k | £192,400£192k | Legia Warszawa | 31 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Poland |
| 25 | Vincent Burlet | £3,500£4k | £182,000£182k | Cracovia | 19 | Left-back | Belgium |
| 26 | Bernardo Vital | £3,500£4k | £182,000£182k | Jagiellonia Białystok | 24 | Centre-back | Portugal |
| 27 | Bogdan Racoviţan | £3,500£4k | £182,000£182k | Raków Częstochowa | 25 | Centre-back | Romania |
| 28 | Damian Michalski | £3,400£3k | £176,800£177k | KGHM Zagłębie Lubin | 27 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 29 | Erick Otieno | £3,300£3k | £171,600£172k | Raków Częstochowa | 28 | Left-back | Kenya |
| 30 | Josema | £3,100£3k | £161,200£161k | Górnik Zabrze | 29 | Centre-back | Spain |
| 31 | Joel Pereira | £3,100£3k | £161,200£161k | Lech Poznań | 28 | Right-back | Portugal |
| 32 | Kamil Glik | £3,000£3k | £156,000£156k | Cracovia | 37 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 33 | Kacper Lopata | £3,000£3k | £156,000£156k | Lechia Gdańsk | 23 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 34 | Kacper Chodyna | £3,000£3k | £156,000£156k | Legia Warszawa | 26 | Right-back, right winger | Poland |
| 35 | Lamine Bâ | £3,000£3k | £156,000£156k | Śląsk Wrocław | 27 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Mauritania |
| 36 | Žan Rogelj | £3,000£3k | £156,000£156k | Wisła Płock | 25 | Right-back, right midfielder | Slovenia |
| 37 | Mauro Perković | £2,900£3k | £150,800£151k | Cracovia | 22 | Centre-back | Croatia |
| 38 | Michal Sáček | £2,900£3k | £150,800£151k | Górnik Zabrze | 28 | Right-back, central midfielder | Czechia |
| 39 | Michał Nalepa | £2,900£3k | £150,800£151k | KGHM Zagłębie Lubin | 32 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 40 | Marcin Kaminski | £2,900£3k | £150,800£151k | Wisła Płock | 33 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 41 | Paweł Bochniewicz | £2,800£3k | £145,600£146k | Górnik Zabrze | 29 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 42 | Taras Romanczuk | £2,600£3k | £135,200£135k | Jagiellonia Białystok | 33 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Poland |
| 43 | Tin Plavotic | £2,600£3k | £135,200£135k | Motor Lublin | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Croatia |
| 44 | Stratos Svarnas | £2,600£3k | £135,200£135k | Raków Częstochowa | 27 | Centre-back | Greece |
| 45 | Brahim Traoré | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | Cracovia | 21 | Centre-back | France |
| 46 | Borja Galán | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | GKS Katowice | 32 | Left wing-back, left winger | Spain |
| 47 | Aleks Ławniczak | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | KGHM Zagłębie Lubin | 26 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 48 | Alex Douglas | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | Lech Poznań | 23 | Centre-back | Sweden |
| 49 | Adriano | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | Raków Częstochowa | 23 | Left wing-back, attacking midfielder | Brazil |
| 50 | Alan Uryga | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | Wisła Kraków | 31 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Poland |
What each position earns in the Ekstraklasa
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 27% of what the Ekstraklasa 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 Ekstraklasa club, added together, a week
Legia Warszawa pay 20 defenders £58,058 a week between them, and Damian Szymanski takes 26% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Ekstraklasa club
19 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogoń Szczecin | Attila Szalai | £36,000£36k | 1 |
| Jagiellonia Białystok | Alejandro Pozo | £16,000£16k | 2 |
| Legia Warszawa | Damian Szymanski | £15,000£15k | 3 |
| Widzew Łódź | Steve Kapuadi | £14,000£14k | 4 |
| Lech Poznań | Robert Gumny | £7,700£8k | 6 |
| Górnik Zabrze | Maximilian Dietz | £5,900£6k | 9 |
| Wisła Płock | Patryk Kun | £5,800£6k | 10 |
| Raków Częstochowa | Fran Tudor | £5,300£5k | 11 |
| Cracovia | Dominik Baumgartner | £4,400£4k | 16 |
| Piast Gliwice | Jakub Czerwiński | £4,100£4k | 17 |
| Śląsk Wrocław | Marc Llinares | £3,900£4k | 20 |
| KGHM Zagłębie Lubin | Damian Michalski | £3,400£3k | 28 |
| Lechia Gdańsk | Kacper Lopata | £3,000£3k | 33 |
| Motor Lublin | Tin Plavotic | £2,600£3k | 43 |
| Wisła Kraków | Alan Uryga | £2,500£3k | 50 |
| GKS Katowice | Borja Galán | £2,500£3k | 46 |
| Radomiak Radom | Jan Grzesik | £2,100£2k | 60 |
| Wieczysta Kraków | Michał Pazdan | £1,900£2k | 72 |
| Korona Kielce | Wiktor Długosz | £1,400£1k | 80 |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The Ekstraklasa ranks 22nd.
| 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 Ekstraklasa?
Attila Szalai of Pogoń Szczecin, on £36,000 a week in 2026/27, or £1,872,000 a year. Alejandro Pozo of Jagiellonia Białystok is second on £16,000 a week.
How much do Ekstraklasa defenders earn?
The average Ekstraklasa defender aged 22 or over earns £2,883 a week, and the median one £2,100. Defenders take 27% of what the Ekstraklasa pays its players of that age.
Which Ekstraklasa club pays its defenders the most?
Legia Warszawa, £58,058 a week across the 20 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Damian Szymanski on £15,000.
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 Ekstraklasa ranks 22nd of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Ekstraklasa squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Ekstraklasa players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Ekstraklasa players are paid at every age, or the Ekstraklasa wage bill, club by club.