I-LEAGUE · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid I-League defenders
Jamie McCart is the best-paid defender in the I-League, on £4,100 a week at MHDN FC, or £213,200 a year. Stephen Kingsley is next on £3,600 at MHDN FC. We hold wages for 73 I-League defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £4k
AVERAGE WAGE £547
SHARE OF WAGE BILL44%
TOP 10 A WEEK £28k
WAGES HELD73
The 50 best-paid I-League 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 | Jamie McCart | £4,100£4k | £213,200£213k | MHDN FC | 28 | Centre-back | Scotland |
| 2 | Stephen Kingsley | £3,600£4k | £187,200£187k | MHDN FC | 30 | Centre-back | Scotland |
| 3 | Craig Halkett | £3,400£3k | £176,800£177k | MHDN FC | 30 | Centre-back | Scotland |
| 4 | Jordi Altena | £3,100£3k | £161,200£161k | MHDN FC | 21 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, right midfielder | Netherlands |
| 5 | Oisin McEntee | £2,800£3k | £145,600£146k | MHDN FC | 24 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Ireland |
| 6 | Stuart Findlay | £2,600£3k | £135,200£135k | MHDN FC | 29 | Centre-back | Scotland |
| 7 | Christian Borchgrevink | £2,400£2k | £124,800£125k | MHDN FC | 26 | Right-back | Norway |
| 8 | Fallou Ndiaye | £2,300£2k | £119,600£120k | Kerala FC | 23 | Centre-back | Senegal |
| 9 | Harry Milne | £2,200£2k | £114,400£114k | MHDN FC | 28 | Left-back, left midfielder | Scotland |
| 10 | Eneko Satrustegui | £1,300£1k | £67,600£68k | North Eastern FC | 34 | Centre-back | Spain |
| 11 | Amid Arezou | £737£737 | £38,324£38k | Kerala FC | 29 | Centre-back, striker | Afghanistan |
| 12 | Bikash Yumnam | £685£685 | £35,620£36k | Kerala FC | 21 | Centre-back | India |
| 13 | Aiban Dohling | £610£610 | £31,720£32k | Kerala FC | 29 | Centre-back | India |
| 14 | Hormipam Ruivah | £497£497 | £25,844£26k | Kerala FC | 24 | Centre-back | India |
| 15 | Lucas Chagas | £415£415 | £21,580£22k | North Eastern FC | 22 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 16 | Lalruatthara | £372£372 | £19,344£19k | Aizawl Football Club | 30 | Full-back, right midfielder | India |
| 17 | Dinesh Singh | £255£255 | £13,260£13k | North Eastern FC | 27 | Centre-back | India |
| 18 | Tondonba Singh | £237£237 | £12,324£12k | North Eastern FC | 30 | Left-back | India |
| 19 | Mashoor Shereef | £212£212 | £11,024£11k | Kashmir FC | 32 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | India |
| 20 | Sandeep Singh | £212£212 | £11,024£11k | Kerala FC | 30 | Centre-back | India |
| 21 | Zodingliana (Zodingliana Ralte) | £212£212 | £11,024£11k | MHDN FC | 30 | Left-back | India |
| 22 | Bekey Oram | £212£212 | £11,024£11k | North Eastern FC | 21 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, right winger | India |
| 23 | Reagan Singh | £191£191 | £9,932£10k | North Eastern FC | 34 | Full-back | India |
| 24 | Wungngayam Muirang | £170£170 | £8,840£9k | Kerala FC | 26 | Centre-back | India |
| 25 | Athul Unnikrishnan | £170£170 | £8,840£9k | Kerala FC | 25 | Right-back | India |
| 26 | Sajad Hussain | £170£170 | £8,840£9k | MHDN FC | 22 | Defender | India |
| 27 | Asheer Akhtar | £170£170 | £8,840£9k | North Eastern FC | 30 | Centre-back | India |
| 28 | Ronaldo Singh (Ronaldo Singh) | £170£170 | £8,840£9k | North Eastern FC | 22 | Centre-back | India |
| 29 | Buanthanglun Samte | £157£157 | £8,164£8k | North Eastern FC | 25 | Left-back | India |
| 30 | Jestin George | £153£153 | £7,956£8k | Delhi Football Club | 27 | Centre-back | India |
| 31 | Saurabh Meher | £153£153 | £7,956£8k | Kashmir FC | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | India |
| 32 | Soyal Joshy | £153£153 | £7,956£8k | Kerala FC | 23 | Right-back | India |
| 33 | Mark Zothanpuia | £153£153 | £7,956£8k | North Eastern FC | 23 | Left-back, central midfielder | India |
| 34 | Paogoumang Singson | £140£140 | £7,280£7k | MHDN FC | 20 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | India |
| 35 | Calvin Baretto | £136£136 | £7,072£7k | Kashmir FC | 25 | Left-back, central midfielder | India |
| 36 | Harpreet Singh | £136£136 | £7,072£7k | Kerala FC | 22 | Centre-back | India |
| 37 | Sowban Hilal Sidiqui | £127£127 | £6,604£7k | Kashmir FC | 25 | Left wing-back | India |
| 38 | Nidhin Krishna | £127£127 | £6,604£7k | Kerala FC | 26 | Right-back | India |
| 39 | Mohammed Jassim | £127£127 | £6,604£7k | MHDN FC | 28 | Left-back | India |
| 40 | Bishan Meitei | £127£127 | £6,604£7k | North Eastern FC | 27 | Full-back | India |
| 41 | Karandeep | £114£114 | £5,928£6k | Kashmir FC | 26 | Left-back | India |
| 42 | Aman | £106£106 | £5,512£6k | Kerala FC | 22 | Full-back, right winger, striker | India |
| 43 | Robin Yadav | £106£106 | £5,512£6k | North Eastern FC | 23 | Right-back | India |
| 44 | Balwinder Singh | £102£102 | £5,304£5k | Delhi Football Club | 33 | Centre-back | India |
| 45 | Shahid Nazir Wani | £102£102 | £5,304£5k | Kashmir FC | 28 | Centre-back | India |
| 46 | Rohit Meitei | £102£102 | £5,304£5k | North Eastern FC | 24 | Centre-back | India |
| 47 | Jonathan Cardozo | £93£93 | £4,836£5k | North Eastern FC | 27 | Centre-back | India |
| 48 | Lalbiakhlua | £85£85 | £4,420£4k | CB Sports Club | 24 | Centre-back | India |
| 49 | Hyder Yousuf Wani | £85£85 | £4,420£4k | Kashmir FC | 22 | Right-back | India |
| 50 | Sachu Siby | £85£85 | £4,420£4k | Kerala FC | 25 | Left-back | India |
What each position earns in the I-League
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 44% of what the I-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 defenders the most
Every defender wage we hold at each I-League club, added together, a week
MHDN FC pay 12 defenders £24,849 a week between them, and Jamie McCart takes 16% of it.
The best-paid defender at every I-League club
10 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| MHDN FC | Jamie McCart | £4,100£4k | 1 |
| Kerala FC | Fallou Ndiaye | £2,300£2k | 8 |
| North Eastern FC | Eneko Satrustegui | £1,300£1k | 10 |
| Aizawl Football Club | Lalruatthara | £372£372 | 16 |
| Kashmir FC | Mashoor Shereef | £212£212 | 19 |
| Delhi Football Club | Jestin George | £153£153 | 30 |
| Tiddim Road FC | Thiyam Chingkheinganba | £85£85 | 51 |
| CB Sports Club | Lalbiakhlua | £85£85 | 48 |
| Pailan Arrows | No wage held | - | - |
| Chennai City | No wage held | - | - |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The I-League ranks 40th.
| 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 I-League?
Jamie McCart of MHDN FC, on £4,100 a week in 2026/27, or £213,200 a year. Stephen Kingsley of MHDN FC is second on £3,600 a week.
How much do I-League defenders earn?
The average I-League defender aged 22 or over earns £547 a week, and the median one £145. Defenders take 44% of what the I-League pays its players of that age.
Which I-League club pays its defenders the most?
MHDN FC, £24,849 a week across the 12 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Jamie McCart on £4,100.
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 I-League ranks 40th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same I-League squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid I-League players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what I-League players are paid at every age, or the I-League wage bill, club by club.