LA LIGA · MIDFIELDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid La Liga midfielders
Trent Alexander-Arnold is the best-paid midfielder in La Liga, on £249,000 a week at Real Madrid, or £12,948,000 a year. Frenkie de Jong is next on £207,000 at Barcelona. We hold wages for 105 La Liga midfielders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £249k
AVERAGE WAGE £40,838
SHARE OF WAGE BILL15%
TOP 10 A WEEK £1.9m
WAGES HELD105
The 50 best-paid La Liga 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 | Trent Alexander-Arnold | £249,000£249k | £12,948,000£12.9m | Real Madrid | 26 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 2 | Frenkie de Jong | £207,000£207k | £10,764,000£10.8m | Barcelona | 28 | Defensive midfielder | Netherlands |
| 3 | Pedri | £207,000£207k | £10,764,000£10.8m | Barcelona | 22 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Spain |
| 4 | Aurélien Tchouaméni | £207,000£207k | £10,764,000£10.8m | Real Madrid | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | France |
| 5 | Koke | £199,000£199k | £10,348,000£10.3m | Atlético Madrid | 33 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 6 | Federico Valverde | £181,000£181k | £9,412,000£9.4m | Real Madrid | 26 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Uruguay |
| 7 | Rodri | £165,000£165k | £8,580,000£8.6m | Barcelona | 29 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 8 | Gavi (Pablo Páez) | £156,000£156k | £8,112,000£8.1m | Barcelona | 20 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Spain |
| 9 | Andreas Christensen | £149,000£149k | £7,748,000£7.7m | Barcelona | 29 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Denmark |
| 10 | Eduardo Camavinga | £138,000£138k | £7,176,000£7.2m | Real Madrid | 22 | Left-back, defensive midfielder | France |
| 11 | Marcos Llorente | £133,000£133k | £6,916,000£6.9m | Atlético Madrid | 30 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Spain |
| 12 | Eric García | £133,000£133k | £6,916,000£6.9m | Barcelona | 24 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 13 | Marc Cucurella | £110,000£110k | £5,720,000£5.7m | Real Madrid | 26 | Centre-back, left midfielder | Spain |
| 14 | Fran García (Francisco García Torres) | £88,000£88k | £4,576,000£4.6m | Real Betis | 25 | Left-back, left midfielder | Spain |
| 15 | Youssouf Fofana | £88,000£88k | £4,576,000£4.6m | Sevilla | 26 | Defensive midfielder | France |
| 16 | Denzel Dumfries | £87,000£87k | £4,524,000£4.5m | Real Madrid | 29 | Right-back, right midfielder | Netherlands |
| 17 | Mouctar Diakhaby | £65,000£65k | £3,380,000£3.4m | Valencia | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Guinea |
| 18 | Angeliño | £64,000£64k | £3,328,000£3.3m | Deportivo La Coruña | 28 | Centre-back, left midfielder | Spain |
| 19 | Orel Mangala | £59,000£59k | £3,068,000£3.1m | Getafe | 27 | Defensive midfielder | Belgium |
| 20 | Johnny | £47,000£47k | £2,444,000£2.4m | Atlético Madrid | 23 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | United States |
| 21 | Dani Vivian | £43,000£43k | £2,236,000£2.2m | Athletic Bilbao | 26 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 22 | Ilaix Moriba | £34,000£34k | £1,768,000£1.8m | Celta Vigo | 22 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Guinea |
| 23 | Pablo Barrios | £32,000£32k | £1,664,000£1.7m | Atlético Madrid | 22 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 24 | Morten Hjulmand | £32,000£32k | £1,664,000£1.7m | Atlético Madrid | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Denmark |
| 25 | Juan Foyth | £32,000£32k | £1,664,000£1.7m | Villarreal | 27 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Argentina |
| 26 | Iván Martín (Iván Martín Núñez) | £29,000£29k | £1,508,000£1.5m | Racing Santander | 26 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Spain |
| 27 | Joris Gnagnon | £29,000£29k | £1,508,000£1.5m | Sevilla | 23 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | France |
| 28 | Santi Comesaña | £29,000£29k | £1,508,000£1.5m | Villarreal | 28 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 29 | Axel Tape | £28,000£28k | £1,456,000£1.5m | Levante | 17 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | France |
| 30 | Pape Gueye | £28,000£28k | £1,456,000£1.5m | Villarreal | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Senegal |
| 31 | Jens Cajuste | £26,000£26k | £1,352,000£1.4m | Málaga | 25 | Defensive midfielder | Sweden |
| 32 | Igor Zubeldia | £26,000£26k | £1,352,000£1.4m | Real Sociedad | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 33 | Abel Bretones | £25,000£25k | £1,300,000£1.3m | Osasuna | 24 | Left-back, left midfielder | Spain |
| 34 | Arnau Martínez (Arnau Martínez López) | £25,000£25k | £1,300,000£1.3m | Valencia | 22 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 35 | Marc Roca | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | Real Betis | 28 | Defensive midfielder, central midfielder | Spain |
| 36 | Yangel Herrera | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | Real Sociedad | 27 | Defensive midfielder | Venezuela |
| 37 | César Tárrega | £23,000£23k | £1,196,000£1.2m | Valencia | 23 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 38 | Sergi Cardona | £23,000£23k | £1,196,000£1.2m | Villarreal | 26 | Left-back, left midfielder | Spain |
| 39 | Edu Expósito | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | Espanyol | 28 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 40 | Giorgi Kochorashvili | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | Sevilla | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Georgia |
| 41 | Javi Guerra | £20,000£20k | £1,040,000£1.0m | Valencia | 22 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Spain |
| 42 | Pepelu | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | Valencia | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 43 | Marc Casadó | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | Deportivo La Coruña | 21 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 44 | Lucien Agoume | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Sevilla | 23 | Defensive midfielder | France |
| 45 | Guido Rodríguez | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Valencia | 31 | Defensive midfielder | Argentina |
| 46 | Gabriel Moscardo | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Espanyol | 19 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 47 | Johan Mojica | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Getafe | 32 | Left-back, left midfielder | Colombia |
| 48 | Lucas Torró | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Osasuna | 30 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 49 | Mario Martín | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Getafe | 21 | Defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 50 | Ramón Terrats | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Getafe | 24 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Spain |
What each position earns in La Liga
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Midfielders take 15% of what La Liga 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 La Liga club, added together, a week
Barcelona pay 7 midfielders £1,031,000 a week between them, and Frenkie de Jong takes 20% of it.
The best-paid midfielder at every La Liga club
20 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's midfielders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | Trent Alexander-Arnold | £249,000£249k | 1 |
| Barcelona | Frenkie de Jong | £207,000£207k | 2 |
| Atlético Madrid | Koke | £199,000£199k | 5 |
| Sevilla | Youssouf Fofana | £88,000£88k | 15 |
| Real Betis | Fran García (Francisco García Torres) | £88,000£88k | 14 |
| Valencia | Mouctar Diakhaby | £65,000£65k | 17 |
| Deportivo La Coruña | Angeliño | £64,000£64k | 18 |
| Getafe | Orel Mangala | £59,000£59k | 19 |
| Athletic Bilbao | Dani Vivian | £43,000£43k | 21 |
| Celta Vigo | Ilaix Moriba | £34,000£34k | 22 |
| Villarreal | Juan Foyth | £32,000£32k | 25 |
| Racing Santander | Iván Martín (Iván Martín Núñez) | £29,000£29k | 26 |
| Levante | Axel Tape | £28,000£28k | 29 |
| Real Sociedad | Igor Zubeldia | £26,000£26k | 32 |
| Málaga | Jens Cajuste | £26,000£26k | 31 |
| Osasuna | Abel Bretones | £25,000£25k | 33 |
| Espanyol | Edu Expósito | £22,000£22k | 39 |
| Rayo Vallecano | Óscar Valentín | £15,000£15k | 51 |
| Elche | Pedro Bigas | £4,800£5k | 75 |
| Deportivo Alavés | Carlos Benavídez | £3,400£3k | 80 |
The best-paid midfielder in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid midfielder. La Liga ranks seventh.
| 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 La Liga?
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid, on £249,000 a week in 2026/27, or £12,948,000 a year. Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona is second on £207,000 a week.
How much do La Liga midfielders earn?
The average La Liga midfielder aged 22 or over earns £40,838 a week, and the median one £16,000. Midfielders take 15% of what La Liga pays its players of that age.
Which La Liga club pays its midfielders the most?
Barcelona, £1,031,000 a week across the 7 midfielders we hold a wage for, led by Frenkie de Jong on £207,000.
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 La Liga ranks seventh of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same La Liga squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid La Liga players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what La Liga players are paid at every age, or La Liga wage bill, club by club.