NATIONAL LEAGUE · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid National League defenders
Jake Rooney is the best-paid defender in the National League, on £4,100 a week at Boston United, or £213,200 a year. Ben Jackson is next on £3,500 at Barrow AFC. We hold wages for 257 National League defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £4k
AVERAGE WAGE £1,165
SHARE OF WAGE BILL35%
TOP 10 A WEEK £28k
WAGES HELD257
The 50 best-paid National 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 | Jake Rooney | £4,100£4k | £213,200£213k | Boston United | 21 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 2 | Ben Jackson | £3,500£4k | £182,000£182k | Barrow AFC | 24 | Full-back | England |
| 3 | MJ Williams | £2,900£3k | £150,800£151k | Barrow AFC | 29 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Wales |
| 4 | Tom Barkhuizen | £2,600£3k | £135,200£135k | Barrow AFC | 32 | Right wing-back, winger | England |
| 5 | Ben Whitfield | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | Barrow AFC | 29 | Right wing-back, attacking midfielder | England |
| 6 | Bevis Mugabi | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | Carlisle United | 30 | Centre-back | Uganda |
| 7 | Aaron Pierre | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | Eastleigh | 32 | Centre-back | Grenada |
| 8 | Ben Goodliffe | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | Southend United | 26 | Centre-back | England |
| 9 | Callum Howe | £2,400£2k | £124,800£125k | Scunthorpe United | 31 | Centre-back | England |
| 10 | Ellis Taylor | £2,300£2k | £119,600£120k | Harrogate Town | 22 | Left wing-back, winger | England |
| 11 | Elliot Newby | £2,300£2k | £119,600£120k | Morecambe | 29 | Wing-back, winger | England |
| 12 | Harry Taylor | £2,200£2k | £114,400£114k | Southend United | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 13 | Josh Grant | £2,100£2k | £109,200£109k | Altrincham | 26 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 14 | Jamie Grimes | £2,100£2k | £109,200£109k | Boston United | 34 | Centre-back | England |
| 15 | Joshua Williams | £2,100£2k | £109,200£109k | Carlisle United | 22 | Right-back, right winger | England |
| 16 | Jordan Moore-Taylor | £2,100£2k | £109,200£109k | Sutton United | 31 | Centre-back | England |
| 17 | Josh Sims | £2,100£2k | £109,200£109k | Yeovil Town | 28 | Right wing-back, winger | England |
| 18 | Lewis Cass | £2,000£2k | £104,000£104k | Harrogate Town | 25 | Centre-back | England |
| 19 | Niall Canavan | £1,900£2k | £98,800£99k | Boston United | 34 | Centre-back | Ireland |
| 20 | Morgan Feeney | £1,900£2k | £98,800£99k | Carlisle United | 26 | Centre-back | England |
| 21 | Max Robson | £1,900£2k | £98,800£99k | Forest Green Rovers | 22 | Right-back, right midfielder | England |
| 22 | Neil Kengni | £1,900£2k | £98,800£99k | Forest Green Rovers | 25 | Left-back, left winger | Cameroon |
| 23 | Morgan Williams | £1,900£2k | £98,800£99k | Harrogate Town | 25 | Defender | England |
| 24 | Neo Eccleston | £1,900£2k | £98,800£99k | Hartlepool United | 21 | Right-back | England |
| 25 | Ollie Kensdale | £1,800£2k | £93,600£94k | Boreham Wood | 25 | Centre-back | England |
| 26 | Ryan Galvin | £1,700£2k | £88,400£88k | Carlisle United | 24 | Left-back | England |
| 27 | Toby Mullarkey | £1,600£2k | £83,200£83k | Carlisle United | 28 | Centre-back | England |
| 28 | Tre Pemberton | £1,600£2k | £83,200£83k | Forest Green Rovers | 26 | Right-back | England |
| 29 | Tom Lees | £1,600£2k | £83,200£83k | Harrogate Town | 34 | Centre-back | England |
| 30 | Tom Bradbury | £1,600£2k | £83,200£83k | Harrogate Town | 27 | Centre-back | England |
| 31 | Sam Austin | £1,600£2k | £83,200£83k | Southend United | 28 | Right wing-back, attacking midfielder | England |
| 32 | Billy Sass-Davies | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Altrincham | 25 | Centre-back | Wales |
| 33 | Anthony Forde | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Altrincham | 31 | Right-back, attacking midfielder | Ireland |
| 34 | Brad Nicholson | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Carlisle United | 26 | Centre-back | England |
| 35 | Ben Radcliffe | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Gateshead | 21 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 36 | Archie Chaplin | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Harrogate Town | 19 | Centre-back | England |
| 37 | Ben Williams | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Morecambe | 26 | Left-back | Wales |
| 38 | Alex Whitmore | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Solihull Moors | 29 | Centre-back | England |
| 39 | Vontae Daley-Campbell | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Southend United | 24 | Right-back | England |
| 40 | Alex Kirk | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Sutton United | 22 | Centre-back | England |
| 41 | Alex Whittle | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Yeovil Town | 32 | Left-back | England |
| 42 | Callum Reynolds | £1,400£1k | £72,800£73k | Boreham Wood | 35 | Centre-back | England |
| 43 | Cameron Harper | £1,400£1k | £72,800£73k | Carlisle United | 23 | Left-back | Scotland |
| 44 | Callum Johnson | £1,400£1k | £72,800£73k | Gateshead | 28 | Right-back | England |
| 45 | Warren Burrell | £1,400£1k | £72,800£73k | Harrogate Town | 35 | Defender, defensive midfielder | England |
| 46 | Chinwike Okoli | £1,400£1k | £72,800£73k | Woking | 21 | Centre-back | England |
| 47 | Filozofe Mabete | £1,300£1k | £67,600£68k | Forest Green Rovers | 20 | Centre-back | England |
| 48 | Ethan Bristow | £1,300£1k | £67,600£68k | Harrogate Town | 23 | Left-back | Saint Kitts & Nevis |
| 49 | Harvey Bunker | £1,200£1k | £62,400£62k | Carlisle United | 22 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 50 | James Clarke | £1,100£1k | £57,200£57k | Boreham Wood | 25 | Centre-back | Ireland |
What each position earns in the National League
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 35% of what the National 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 National League club, added together, a week
Carlisle United pay 17 defenders £18,180 a week between them, and Bevis Mugabi takes 14% of it.
The best-paid defender at every National League club
21 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston United | Jake Rooney | £4,100£4k | 1 |
| Barrow AFC | Ben Jackson | £3,500£4k | 2 |
| Carlisle United | Bevis Mugabi | £2,500£3k | 6 |
| Southend United | Ben Goodliffe | £2,500£3k | 8 |
| Eastleigh | Aaron Pierre | £2,500£3k | 7 |
| Scunthorpe United | Callum Howe | £2,400£2k | 9 |
| Harrogate Town | Ellis Taylor | £2,300£2k | 10 |
| Morecambe | Elliot Newby | £2,300£2k | 11 |
| Altrincham | Josh Grant | £2,100£2k | 13 |
| Sutton United | Jordan Moore-Taylor | £2,100£2k | 16 |
| Yeovil Town | Josh Sims | £2,100£2k | 17 |
| Forest Green Rovers | Max Robson | £1,900£2k | 21 |
| Hartlepool United | Neo Eccleston | £1,900£2k | 24 |
| Boreham Wood | Ollie Kensdale | £1,800£2k | 25 |
| Solihull Moors | Alex Whitmore | £1,500£2k | 38 |
| Gateshead | Ben Radcliffe | £1,500£2k | 35 |
| Woking | Chinwike Okoli | £1,400£1k | 46 |
| Wealdstone | Connor McAvoy | £930£930 | 63 |
| FC Halifax Town | Dylan Crowe | £870£870 | 82 |
| Aldershot Town | Ollie Harfield | £810£810 | 89 |
| Tamworth | Joe Rye | £710£710 | 111 |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The National League ranks 39th.
| 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 National League?
Jake Rooney of Boston United, on £4,100 a week in 2026/27, or £213,200 a year. Ben Jackson of Barrow AFC is second on £3,500 a week.
How much do National League defenders earn?
The average National League defender aged 22 or over earns £1,165 a week, and the median one £905. Defenders take 35% of what the National League pays its players of that age.
Which National League club pays its defenders the most?
Carlisle United, £18,180 a week across the 17 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Bevis Mugabi on £2,500.
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 National League ranks 39th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same National League squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid National League players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what National League players are paid at every age, or the National League wage bill, club by club.