LIGA MX · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Liga MX defenders
Kenedy is the best-paid defender in Liga MX, on £25,000 a week at Pachuca CF, or £1,300,000 a year. Sergio Ramos is next on £24,000 at CF Monterrey. We hold wages for 212 Liga MX defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £25k
AVERAGE WAGE £6,926
SHARE OF WAGE BILL29%
TOP 10 A WEEK £183k
WAGES HELD212
The 50 best-paid Liga MX 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 | Kenedy | £25,000£25k | £1,300,000£1.3m | Pachuca CF | 29 | Left wing-back, winger | Brazil |
| 2 | Sergio Ramos | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | CF Monterrey | 39 | Centre-back | Spain |
| 3 | Jorge Sánchez | £20,000£20k | £1,040,000£1.0m | CD Atlas | 27 | Full-back | Mexico |
| 4 | Erik Lira | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | CD Cruz Azul | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Mexico |
| 5 | Carlos Rotondi | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | CD Cruz Azul | 28 | Left wing-back, left winger | Argentina |
| 6 | Sebastián Vegas | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | CF Monterrey | 28 | Centre-back | Chile |
| 7 | Jesús Corona | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | CF Monterrey | 32 | Right wing-back, winger | Mexico |
| 8 | Gonzalo Piovi | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | CD Cruz Azul | 30 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 9 | Israel Reyes | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Club América | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Mexico |
| 10 | Kevin Álvarez | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Club América | 26 | Right-back | Mexico |
| 11 | Jesús Ricardo Angulo | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Deportivo Toluca | 28 | Left wing-back, attacking midfielder | Mexico |
| 12 | Alan Mozo | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Pachuca CF | 28 | Right-back | Mexico |
| 13 | Jesús Angulo | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Tigres de la UANL | 27 | Centre-back | Mexico |
| 14 | Adonis Frías | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | CD Atlas | 27 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 15 | Willer Ditta | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | CD Cruz Azul | 27 | Centre-back | Colombia |
| 16 | Jesús Gallardo | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Deportivo Toluca | 30 | Left-back, left winger | Mexico |
| 17 | Luis Romo | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | CD Guadalajara | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Mexico |
| 18 | Diego Campillo | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | CD Guadalajara | 23 | Centre-back | Mexico |
| 19 | Alexis Peña | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | CD Necaxa | 29 | Centre-back | Mexico |
| 20 | Aldo López | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | CD Santos Laguna | 25 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Mexico |
| 21 | Gerardo Arteaga | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | CF Monterrey | 26 | Left-back | Mexico |
| 22 | Alan Franco | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Tigres de la UANL | 28 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 23 | Joaquim | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Tigres de la UANL | 26 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 24 | Jaine Barreiro | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Club León | 31 | Centre-back | Colombia |
| 25 | Cristián Borja | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Club América | 32 | Left-back | Colombia |
| 26 | Miguel Vázquez | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Club América | 21 | Centre-back | Mexico |
| 27 | Gilberto Sepúlveda | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Fútbol Club Juárez | 26 | Centre-back | Mexico |
| 28 | Nathan Silva | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Pumas de la UNAM | 28 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 29 | Jesús Orozco Chiquete | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | CD Cruz Azul | 23 | Centre-back | Mexico |
| 30 | Rodrigo Echeverría | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Club León | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Chile |
| 31 | Luan | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Deportivo Toluca | 32 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 32 | Rubén Duarte | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Pumas de la UNAM | 29 | Centre-back | Spain |
| 33 | Richard Ledezma | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | CD Guadalajara | 24 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder | Mexico |
| 34 | Ramón Juárez | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Club América | 24 | Centre-back | Mexico |
| 35 | Stefan Medina | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | CF Monterrey | 33 | Centre-back | Colombia |
| 36 | Juanpe | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Club Atlético San Luis | 34 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 37 | Jesús Murillo | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Fútbol Club Juárez | 31 | Centre-back | Colombia |
| 38 | Jesús Garza | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Tigres de la UANL | 25 | Right-back, right winger | Mexico |
| 39 | Agustín Oliveros | £9,500£10k | £494,000£494k | CD Necaxa | 26 | Centre-back | Uruguay |
| 40 | Carlos Salcedo | £9,400£9k | £488,800£489k | CF Monterrey | 31 | Centre-back | Mexico |
| 41 | Diego Barbosa | £9,400£9k | £488,800£489k | Deportivo Toluca | 28 | Right-back | Mexico |
| 42 | Cristian Calderón | £9,400£9k | £488,800£489k | Pumas de la UNAM | 28 | Left-back | Mexico |
| 43 | Javier Aquino | £9,100£9k | £473,200£473k | Fútbol Club Juárez | 35 | Right-back, right midfielder | Mexico |
| 44 | Manuel Capasso | £9,000£9k | £468,000£468k | CD Atlas | 29 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 45 | Omar Campos | £8,800£9k | £457,600£458k | CD Cruz Azul | 22 | Left-back, left midfielder | Mexico |
| 46 | Ricardo Chávez | £8,700£9k | £452,400£452k | CF Monterrey | 30 | Right-back | Mexico |
| 47 | Rômulo | £8,700£9k | £452,400£452k | Tigres de la UANL | 25 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 48 | Bruno Amione | £8,500£9k | £442,000£442k | CD Santos Laguna | 23 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 49 | Brian García | £8,500£9k | £442,000£442k | Deportivo Toluca | 27 | Right-back | Mexico |
| 50 | Erick Aguirre | £8,300£8k | £431,600£432k | CF Monterrey | 28 | Full-back | Mexico |
What each position earns in Liga MX
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 29% of what Liga MX 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 Liga MX club, added together, a week
CF Monterrey pay 16 defenders £124,704 a week between them, and Sergio Ramos takes 19% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Liga MX club
18 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pachuca CF | Kenedy | £25,000£25k | 1 |
| CF Monterrey | Sergio Ramos | £24,000£24k | 2 |
| CD Atlas | Jorge Sánchez | £20,000£20k | 3 |
| CD Cruz Azul | Erik Lira | £19,000£19k | 4 |
| Tigres de la UANL | Jesús Angulo | £15,000£15k | 13 |
| Deportivo Toluca | Jesús Ricardo Angulo | £15,000£15k | 11 |
| Club América | Israel Reyes | £15,000£15k | 9 |
| CD Santos Laguna | Aldo López | £13,000£13k | 20 |
| CD Guadalajara | Luis Romo | £13,000£13k | 17 |
| CD Necaxa | Alexis Peña | £13,000£13k | 19 |
| Club León | Jaine Barreiro | £12,000£12k | 24 |
| Pumas de la UNAM | Nathan Silva | £12,000£12k | 28 |
| Fútbol Club Juárez | Gilberto Sepúlveda | £12,000£12k | 27 |
| Club Atlético San Luis | Juanpe | £10,000£10k | 36 |
| CF Puebla de la Franja | Facundo Almada | £8,300£8k | 51 |
| Querétaro FC | Diego Reyes | £7,400£7k | 66 |
| Xoloitzcuintles de Tijuana | Unai Bilbao | £7,000£7k | 69 |
| Atlante | Joaquín Esquivel | £6,100£6k | 75 |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. Liga MX ranks 26th.
| 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 Liga MX?
Kenedy of Pachuca CF, on £25,000 a week in 2026/27, or £1,300,000 a year. Sergio Ramos of CF Monterrey is second on £24,000 a week.
How much do Liga MX defenders earn?
The average Liga MX defender aged 22 or over earns £6,926 a week, and the median one £6,200. Defenders take 29% of what Liga MX pays its players of that age.
Which Liga MX club pays its defenders the most?
CF Monterrey, £124,704 a week across the 16 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Sergio Ramos on £24,000.
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 Liga MX ranks 26th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Liga MX squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Liga MX players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Liga MX players are paid at every age, or Liga MX wage bill, club by club.