Highest paid Meistriliiga midfielders
Modou Tambedou is the best-paid midfielder in the Meistriliiga, on £484 a week at Nõmme Kalju FC, or £25,168 a year. Daniel Cabral is next on £444 at Paide Linnameeskond. We hold wages for 39 Meistriliiga midfielders in 2026/27.
All 39 Meistriliiga midfielders, best paid first
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 | Modou Tambedou | £484£484 | £25,168£25k | Nõmme Kalju FC | 22 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Senegal |
| 2 | Daniel Cabral | £444£444 | £23,088£23k | Paide Linnameeskond | 23 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 3 | Ilja Antonov | £347£347 | £18,044£18k | FC Flora Tallinn | 32 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 4 | German Slein | £278£278 | £14,456£14k | JK Narva Trans | 29 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 5 | Vladislav Kreida | £238£238 | £12,376£12k | FC Flora Tallinn | 25 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 6 | Rasmus Peetson | £219£219 | £11,388£11k | FCI Levadia Tallinn | 30 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 7 | Edgar Tur | £190£190 | £9,880£10k | Paide Linnameeskond | 28 | Right-back, right midfielder | Estonia |
| 8 | Tristan Teeväli | £153£153 | £7,956£8k | FC Flora Tallinn | 22 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 9 | Andreas Vaher | £143£143 | £7,436£7k | FC Flora Tallinn | 21 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 10 | Pavel Dõmov | £132£132 | £6,864£7k | FC Kuressaare | 31 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 11 | Usalifa Indi | £129£129 | £6,708£7k | Harju JK Laagri | 25 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Guinea-Bissau |
| 12 | Alexandre (Alexandre Lopes Gomes) | £122£122 | £6,344£6k | FCI Levadia Tallinn | 22 | Defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 13 | Sander Sinilaid | £117£117 | £6,084£6k | FC Kuressaare | 34 | Central midfielder | Estonia |
| 14 | Mark Maksimkin | £100£100 | £5,200£5k | JK Narva Trans | 22 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 15 | Elysée | £100£100 | £5,200£5k | JK Narva Trans | 35 | Defensive midfielder, central midfielder | Côte d’Ivoire |
| 16 | Denis Polyakov | £100£100 | £5,200£5k | JK Narva Trans | 33 | Defensive midfielder | Russia |
| 17 | Aleksandr Jegorov | £100£100 | £5,200£5k | JK Narva Trans | 19 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 18 | Stanislav Agaptšev | £100£100 | £5,200£5k | JK Narva Trans | 19 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 19 | Aleksander Filatov | £100£100 | £5,200£5k | JK Narva Trans | 21 | Left-back, defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 20 | Laurits Õunpuu | £100£100 | £5,200£5k | JK Tammeka Tartu | 19 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 21 | Herman Pedmanson | £100£100 | £5,200£5k | JK Tammeka Tartu | 19 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 22 | Tanel Lang | £100£100 | £5,200£5k | JK Tammeka Tartu | 29 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 23 | Kaspar Rõõmussaar | £92£92 | £4,784£5k | Harju JK Laagri | 22 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 24 | Vadim Mihhailov | £91£91 | £4,732£5k | JK Tallinna Kalev | 27 | Wide midfielder | Estonia |
| 25 | Reinhard Reimaa | £77£77 | £4,004£4k | Harju JK Laagri | 26 | Right-back, central midfielder | Estonia |
| 26 | Oskar Hõim | £77£77 | £4,004£4k | Paide Linnameeskond | 20 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 27 | Imre Kartau | £74£74 | £3,848£4k | Harju JK Laagri | 19 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 28 | Enriko Kajari | £74£74 | £3,848£4k | Harju JK Laagri | 18 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 29 | Markus Johannes Leivategija | £60£60 | £3,120£3k | FC Kuressaare | 19 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 30 | Martin Tomberg | £60£60 | £3,120£3k | JK Tallinna Kalev | 19 | Central midfielder | Estonia |
| 31 | Mattis Karis | £60£60 | £3,120£3k | JK Tammeka Tartu | 18 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 32 | Mathias Villota | £60£60 | £3,120£3k | Pärnu JK Vaprus | 20 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 33 | Joonas Sild | £60£60 | £3,120£3k | Pärnu JK Vaprus | 24 | Wide midfielder | Estonia |
| 34 | Daniil Petrunin | £57£57 | £2,964£3k | JK Tallinna Kalev | 24 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 35 | Reimo Madissoo | £42£42 | £2,184£2k | Pärnu JK Vaprus | 27 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 36 | Sander Must | £35£35 | £1,820£2k | Harju JK Laagri | 19 | Defensive midfielder | Estonia |
| 37 | Pedro Markvardt | £25£25 | £1,300£1k | Harju JK Laagri | 20 | Central midfielder | Estonia |
| 38 | Silver Liiv | £25£25 | £1,300£1k | Harju JK Laagri | 36 | Central midfielder | Estonia |
| 39 | Artur Sibul | £20£20 | £1,040£1k | JK Tallinna Kalev | 18 | Central midfielder | Estonia |
What each position earns in the Meistriliiga
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Midfielders take 17% of what the Meistriliiga 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 Meistriliiga club, added together, a week
FC Flora Tallinn pay 4 midfielders £881 a week between them, and Ilja Antonov takes 39% of it.
The best-paid midfielder at every Meistriliiga club
10 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's midfielders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nõmme Kalju FC | Modou Tambedou | £484£484 | 1 |
| Paide Linnameeskond | Daniel Cabral | £444£444 | 2 |
| FC Flora Tallinn | Ilja Antonov | £347£347 | 3 |
| JK Narva Trans | German Slein | £278£278 | 4 |
| FCI Levadia Tallinn | Rasmus Peetson | £219£219 | 6 |
| FC Kuressaare | Pavel Dõmov | £132£132 | 10 |
| Harju JK Laagri | Usalifa Indi | £129£129 | 11 |
| JK Tammeka Tartu | Laurits Õunpuu | £100£100 | 20 |
| JK Tallinna Kalev | Vadim Mihhailov | £91£91 | 24 |
| Pärnu JK Vaprus | Mathias Villota | £60£60 | 32 |
The best-paid midfielder in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid midfielder. The Meistriliiga ranks 43rd.
| 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 Meistriliiga?
Modou Tambedou of Nõmme Kalju FC, on £484 a week in 2026/27, or £25,168 a year. Daniel Cabral of Paide Linnameeskond is second on £444 a week.
How much do Meistriliiga midfielders earn?
The average Meistriliiga midfielder aged 22 or over earns £161 a week, and the median one £117. Midfielders take 17% of what the Meistriliiga pays its players of that age.
Which Meistriliiga club pays its midfielders the most?
FC Flora Tallinn, £881 a week across the 4 midfielders we hold a wage for, led by Ilja Antonov on £347.
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 Meistriliiga ranks 43rd of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Meistriliiga squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Meistriliiga players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Meistriliiga players are paid at every age, or the Meistriliiga wage bill, club by club.