RUSSIAN PREMIER LEAGUE · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Russian Premier League defenders
Matheus Reis is the best-paid defender in the Russian Premier League, on £57,000 a week at CSKA Moscow, or £2,964,000 a year. Douglas Santos is next on £43,000 at Zenit St. Petersburg. We hold wages for 102 Russian Premier League defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £57k
AVERAGE WAGE £12,772
SHARE OF WAGE BILL31%
TOP 10 A WEEK £299k
WAGES HELD102
The 50 best-paid Russian Premier 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 | Matheus Reis | £57,000£57k | £2,964,000£3.0m | CSKA Moscow | 30 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 2 | Douglas Santos | £43,000£43k | £2,236,000£2.2m | Zenit St. Petersburg | 31 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 3 | Roman Zobnin | £39,000£39k | £2,028,000£2.0m | Spartak Moscow | 31 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Russia |
| 4 | Daniil Khlusevich | £25,000£25k | £1,300,000£1.3m | Spartak Moscow | 24 | Right-back, right midfielder | Russia |
| 5 | Diego Costa | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | FC Krasnodar | 25 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 6 | Alexander Djiku | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | Spartak Moscow | 30 | Centre-back | Ghana |
| 7 | Ivan Oblyakov | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | CSKA Moscow | 27 | Left wing-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Russia |
| 8 | Gustavo Mantuan | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | Zenit St. Petersburg | 24 | Right-back, winger | Brazil |
| 9 | Nino | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | Zenit St. Petersburg | 28 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 10 | César Montes | £21,000£21k | £1,092,000£1.1m | Lokomotiv Moscow | 28 | Centre-back | Mexico |
| 11 | Igor Diveev | £21,000£21k | £1,092,000£1.1m | Zenit St. Petersburg | 25 | Centre-back | Russia |
| 12 | Danil Krugovoy | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | CSKA Moscow | 27 | Left-back, right winger | Russia |
| 13 | Baqtiiar Zainutdinov | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | Dinamo Moscow | 27 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder | Kazakhstan |
| 14 | João Victor | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | CSKA Moscow | 26 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 15 | Alexandr Soldatenkov | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | FC Sochi | 28 | Centre-back | Russia |
| 16 | Cristian Ramírez | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Lokomotiv Moscow | 30 | Left-back | Ecuador |
| 17 | Srđan Babić | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Spartak Moscow | 29 | Centre-back | Serbia |
| 18 | Robert Renan | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Zenit St. Petersburg | 21 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 19 | Arsen Adamov | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Akhmat Grozny | 25 | Centre-back | Russia |
| 20 | Moisés | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | CSKA Moscow | 30 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 21 | Tormena | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | FC Krasnodar | 29 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 22 | Gerzino Nyamsi | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Lokomotiv Moscow | 28 | Centre-back | Cameroon |
| 23 | Nüraly Älip | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Zenit St. Petersburg | 25 | Centre-back | Kazakhstan |
| 24 | Vyacheslav Karavaev | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Zenit St. Petersburg | 30 | Centre-back | Russia |
| 25 | Alexandr Kutitskiy | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Dinamo Moscow | 23 | Defender, defensive midfielder | Russia |
| 26 | Dmitry Skopintsev | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Dinamo Moscow | 28 | Left-back, left midfielder | Russia |
| 27 | Jubal | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | FC Krasnodar | 31 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 28 | Dmitry Chistyakov | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | FC Rostov | 31 | Centre-back | Russia |
| 29 | Fasson | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Lokomotiv Moscow | 24 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 30 | Alexandr Siljanov | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Lokomotiv Moscow | 24 | Full-back | Russia |
| 31 | Christopher Wooh | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Spartak Moscow | 23 | Centre-back | Cameroon |
| 32 | Ilja Samoshnikov | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Spartak Moscow | 27 | Full-back, right winger | Russia |
| 33 | Yury Gorshkov | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Zenit St. Petersburg | 26 | Left-back | Russia |
| 34 | Maxim Osipenko | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Dinamo Moscow | 31 | Centre-back | Russia |
| 35 | Rubens | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Dinamo Moscow | 24 | Left-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder | Brazil |
| 36 | Lucas Olaza | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | FC Krasnodar | 30 | Left-back | Uruguay |
| 37 | Anderson Arroyo | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Rubin Kazan | 25 | Defender | Colombia |
| 38 | Ramiro Di Luciano | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | CSKA Moscow | 21 | Right-back | Argentina |
| 39 | Juan Cáceres | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Dinamo Moscow | 25 | Right-back | Paraguay |
| 40 | Ronaldo | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | FC Rostov | 24 | Right wing-back, right winger | Brazil |
| 41 | Daniil Denisov | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Spartak Moscow | 22 | Right-back | Russia |
| 42 | Milan Gajic | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | CSKA Moscow | 29 | Full-back | Serbia |
| 43 | Nicolás Marichal | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Dinamo Moscow | 24 | Centre-back | Uruguay |
| 44 | David Ricardo | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Dinamo Moscow | 22 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 45 | Oumar Sako | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | FC Rostov | 29 | Centre-back | Niger |
| 46 | Ruslan Litvinov | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Spartak Moscow | 23 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Russia |
| 47 | Sergey Petrov | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | FC Krasnodar | 34 | Full-back | Russia |
| 48 | Ilja Vakhania | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | FC Rostov | 24 | Full-back | Russia |
| 49 | Maxim Nenakhov | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Lokomotiv Moscow | 26 | Right-back | Russia |
| 50 | Sergey Volkov | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Zenit St. Petersburg | 22 | Right-back | Russia |
What each position earns in the Russian Premier League
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 31% of what the Russian Premier 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 Russian Premier League club, added together, a week
Zenit St. Petersburg pay 11 defenders £195,000 a week between them, and Douglas Santos takes 22% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Russian Premier League club
17 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSKA Moscow | Matheus Reis | £57,000£57k | 1 |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | Douglas Santos | £43,000£43k | 2 |
| Spartak Moscow | Roman Zobnin | £39,000£39k | 3 |
| FC Krasnodar | Diego Costa | £24,000£24k | 5 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | César Montes | £21,000£21k | 10 |
| Dinamo Moscow | Baqtiiar Zainutdinov | £18,000£18k | 13 |
| FC Sochi | Alexandr Soldatenkov | £17,000£17k | 15 |
| Akhmat Grozny | Arsen Adamov | £16,000£16k | 19 |
| FC Rostov | Dmitry Chistyakov | £15,000£15k | 28 |
| Rubin Kazan | Anderson Arroyo | £14,000£14k | 37 |
| Krylja Sovetov Samara | Nikolay Rasskazov | £3,900£4k | 76 |
| Akron Togliatti | Vyacheslav Bardybakhin | £1,500£2k | 86 |
| Rodina Moscow | Georgy Yudintsev | £1,200£1k | 88 |
| Baltika Kaliningrad | No wage held | - | - |
| Dinamo Makhachkala | No wage held | - | - |
| Fakel Voronezh | No wage held | - | - |
| FC Orenburg | No wage held | - | - |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The Russian Premier League ranks 15th.
| 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 Russian Premier League?
Matheus Reis of CSKA Moscow, on £57,000 a week in 2026/27, or £2,964,000 a year. Douglas Santos of Zenit St. Petersburg is second on £43,000 a week.
How much do Russian Premier League defenders earn?
The average Russian Premier League defender aged 22 or over earns £12,772 a week, and the median one £12,000. Defenders take 31% of what the Russian Premier League pays its players of that age.
Which Russian Premier League club pays its defenders the most?
Zenit St. Petersburg, £195,000 a week across the 11 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Douglas Santos on £43,000.
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 Russian Premier League ranks 15th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Russian Premier League squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Russian Premier League players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Russian Premier League players are paid at every age, or the Russian Premier League wage bill, club by club.