PRIMEIRA LIGA · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Primeira Liga defenders
Jakub Kiwior is the best-paid defender in the Primeira Liga, on £58,000 a week at Futebol Clube do Porto, or £3,016,000 a year. Jan Bednarek is next on £41,000 at Futebol Clube do Porto. We hold wages for 302 Primeira Liga defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £58k
AVERAGE WAGE £5,910
SHARE OF WAGE BILL20%
TOP 10 A WEEK £346k
WAGES HELD302
The 50 best-paid Primeira Liga 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 | Jakub Kiwior | £58,000£58k | £3,016,000£3.0m | Futebol Clube do Porto | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Poland |
| 2 | Jan Bednarek | £41,000£41k | £2,132,000£2.1m | Futebol Clube do Porto | 29 | Centre-back | Poland |
| 3 | Alberto Baio | £35,000£35k | £1,820,000£1.8m | Futebol Clube do Porto | 21 | Right-back, right midfielder | Portugal |
| 4 | Souza | £33,000£33k | £1,716,000£1.7m | Futebol Clube do Porto | 19 | Left-back | Brazil |
| 5 | Samuel Dahl | £33,000£33k | £1,716,000£1.7m | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | 22 | Left-back, left midfielder | Sweden |
| 6 | Gonçalo Inácio | £32,000£32k | £1,664,000£1.7m | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 23 | Centre-back | Portugal |
| 7 | Pablo Rosario | £31,000£31k | £1,612,000£1.6m | Futebol Clube do Porto | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Dominican Republic |
| 8 | Alexander Bah | £30,000£30k | £1,560,000£1.6m | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | 27 | Right-back, right midfielder | Denmark |
| 9 | Francisco Moura | £27,000£27k | £1,404,000£1.4m | Futebol Clube do Porto | 25 | Left-back, left midfielder | Portugal |
| 10 | Nehuén Pérez | £26,000£26k | £1,352,000£1.4m | Futebol Clube do Porto | 25 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 11 | Clément Lenglet | £26,000£26k | £1,352,000£1.4m | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | 30 | Centre-back | France |
| 12 | Zeno Debast | £25,000£25k | £1,300,000£1.3m | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 21 | Centre-back | Belgium |
| 13 | Giorgos Vagiannidis | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 23 | Right-back, right midfielder | Greece |
| 14 | Maximiliano Araújo | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 25 | Left-back, left midfielder | Uruguay |
| 15 | Tomás Araújo | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | 23 | Centre-back | Portugal |
| 16 | Manu Silva | £23,000£23k | £1,196,000£1.2m | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | 24 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Portugal |
| 17 | Dominik Prpić | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | Futebol Clube do Porto | 21 | Centre-back | Croatia |
| 18 | Iván Fresneda | £21,000£21k | £1,092,000£1.1m | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 20 | Right-back | Spain |
| 19 | Bright Arrey-Mbi | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | SC Braga | 22 | Centre-back | Germany |
| 20 | Alessandro Circati | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | 21 | Centre-back | Australia |
| 21 | Nuno Santos | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 30 | Left wing-back, left winger | Portugal |
| 22 | Eduardo Quaresma | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 23 | Centre-back | Portugal |
| 23 | Geny (Geny Catamo) | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 24 | Wing-back, winger | Mozambique |
| 24 | Zaidu Sanusi | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Futebol Clube do Porto | 28 | Left-back, left midfielder | Nigeria |
| 25 | Martim Fernandes | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Futebol Clube do Porto | 19 | Full-back | Portugal |
| 26 | Murilo | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Gil Vicente | 28 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 27 | Sikou Niakaté | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | SC Braga | 26 | Centre-back | Mali |
| 28 | Gustaf Lagerbielke | £9,200£9k | £478,400£478k | SC Braga | 25 | Centre-back | Sweden |
| 29 | Ricardo Esgaio | £8,000£8k | £416,000£416k | Gil Vicente | 32 | Right-back, right midfielder | Portugal |
| 30 | Víctor Gómez | £8,000£8k | £416,000£416k | SC Braga | 25 | Right-back, right midfielder | Spain |
| 31 | Pedro Lima | £7,800£8k | £405,600£406k | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 19 | Right-back | Brazil |
| 32 | Bartłomiej Wdowik | £7,500£8k | £390,000£390k | SC Braga | 24 | Left-back, left midfielder | Poland |
| 33 | Vitor Carvalho | £7,000£7k | £364,000£364k | SC Braga | 28 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 34 | Williams Kokolo | £6,400£6k | £332,800£333k | Nacional da Madeira | 25 | Left-back | France |
| 35 | Diogo Travassos | £5,400£5k | £280,800£281k | SC Braga | 21 | Right-back, right winger | Portugal |
| 36 | Guilherme Romão | £5,200£5k | £270,400£270k | Santa Clara | 27 | Left-back | Brazil |
| 37 | Miguel Ángel Brau | £4,900£5k | £254,800£255k | Académico de Viseu Futebol Clube | 23 | Left-back, left winger | Spain |
| 38 | Gil Dias | £4,200£4k | £218,400£218k | Famalicão | 28 | Left wing-back, winger | Portugal |
| 39 | Nathanael Ogbeta | £3,900£4k | £202,800£203k | Marítimo | 24 | Left-back | England |
| 40 | Abdu Conté | £3,500£4k | £182,000£182k | Casa Pia Atlético Clube | 27 | Left-back | Portugal |
| 41 | Dario Špikić | £3,400£3k | £176,800£177k | Rio Ave | 26 | Right-back, winger | Croatia |
| 42 | Yeimar Mosquera | £3,300£3k | £171,600£172k | Vitória de Guimarães | 20 | Centre-back | Colombia |
| 43 | José Fonte | £3,100£3k | £161,200£161k | Casa Pia Atlético Clube | 41 | Centre-back | Portugal |
| 44 | José Neto | £3,100£3k | £161,200£161k | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | 17 | Left-back | Portugal |
| 45 | Lucas Taibo | £3,000£3k | £156,000£156k | Sporting Clube de Portugal | 19 | Centre-back | Spain |
| 46 | Mario Climent | £2,900£3k | £150,800£151k | Futebol Clube de Arouca | 23 | Left-back | Spain |
| 47 | Miguel Magalhães | £2,900£3k | £150,800£151k | Vitória de Guimarães | 22 | Right-back, right midfielder | Portugal |
| 48 | Miguel Nóbrega | £2,900£3k | £150,800£151k | Vitória de Guimarães | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Portugal |
| 49 | Rafael Fernandes | £2,700£3k | £140,400£140k | Marítimo | 23 | Centre-back | Portugal |
| 50 | Rodrigo Pinheiro | £2,700£3k | £140,400£140k | Famalicão | 22 | Right-back | Portugal |
What each position earns in the Primeira Liga
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 20% of what the Primeira 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 defenders the most
Every defender wage we hold at each Primeira Liga club, added together, a week
Futebol Clube do Porto pay 20 defenders £309,316 a week between them, and Jakub Kiwior takes 19% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Primeira Liga club
19 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Futebol Clube do Porto | Jakub Kiwior | £58,000£58k | 1 |
| Sport Lisboa e Benfica | Samuel Dahl | £33,000£33k | 5 |
| Sporting Clube de Portugal | Gonçalo Inácio | £32,000£32k | 6 |
| SC Braga | Bright Arrey-Mbi | £19,000£19k | 19 |
| Gil Vicente | Murilo | £13,000£13k | 26 |
| Nacional da Madeira | Williams Kokolo | £6,400£6k | 34 |
| Santa Clara | Guilherme Romão | £5,200£5k | 36 |
| Académico de Viseu Futebol Clube | Miguel Ángel Brau | £4,900£5k | 37 |
| Famalicão | Gil Dias | £4,200£4k | 38 |
| Marítimo | Nathanael Ogbeta | £3,900£4k | 39 |
| Casa Pia Atlético Clube | Abdu Conté | £3,500£4k | 40 |
| Rio Ave | Dario Špikić | £3,400£3k | 41 |
| Vitória de Guimarães | Yeimar Mosquera | £3,300£3k | 42 |
| Futebol Clube de Arouca | Mario Climent | £2,900£3k | 46 |
| Club Football Estrela da Amadora | Bernardo Schappo | £2,500£3k | 57 |
| Futebol Clube de Alverca | Bastien Meupiyou | £2,500£3k | 58 |
| Tondela | Brayan Medina | £2,500£3k | 54 |
| Moreirense | Fabiano Souza | £2,300£2k | 67 |
| Estoril Praia Futebol | Ferro | £2,300£2k | 64 |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The Primeira Liga ranks 13th.
| 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 Primeira Liga?
Jakub Kiwior of Futebol Clube do Porto, on £58,000 a week in 2026/27, or £3,016,000 a year. Jan Bednarek of Futebol Clube do Porto is second on £41,000 a week.
How much do Primeira Liga defenders earn?
The average Primeira Liga defender aged 22 or over earns £5,910 a week, and the median one £2,000. Defenders take 20% of what the Primeira Liga pays its players of that age.
Which Primeira Liga club pays its defenders the most?
Futebol Clube do Porto, £309,316 a week across the 20 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Jakub Kiwior on £58,000.
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 the Primeira Liga ranks 13th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Primeira Liga squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Primeira Liga players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Primeira Liga players are paid at every age, or the Primeira Liga wage bill, club by club.