SERIE B · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Serie B defenders
Federico Baschirotto and Domagoj Bradaric are the best-paid defenders in Serie B, on £33,000 a week each, or £1,716,000 a year. Sebastiano Luperto is next on £29,000 at U.S. Cremonese. We hold wages for 198 Serie B defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £33k
AVERAGE WAGE £6,876
SHARE OF WAGE BILL29%
TOP 10 A WEEK £235k
WAGES HELD198
The 50 best-paid Serie B 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 | Federico Baschirotto | £33,000£33k | £1,716,000£1.7m | U.S. Cremonese | 28 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 2 | Domagoj Bradaric | £33,000£33k | £1,716,000£1.7m | Hellas Verona FC | 25 | Left-back | Croatia |
| 3 | Sebastiano Luperto | £29,000£29k | £1,508,000£1.5m | U.S. Cremonese | 28 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 4 | Emmanuel Gyasi | £24,000£24k | £1,248,000£1.2m | Palermo F.C. | 31 | Right wing-back, winger, striker | Ghana |
| 5 | Antonio Candela | £21,000£21k | £1,092,000£1.1m | Catanzaro 1929 | 25 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 6 | Riccardo Marchizza | £20,000£20k | £1,040,000£1.0m | Lanerossi Vicenza | 27 | Left-back | Italy |
| 7 | Giuseppe Pezzella | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | U.S. Cremonese | 27 | Left-back, left midfielder | Italy |
| 8 | Gabriele Zappa | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | Hellas Verona FC | 25 | Centre-back, right midfielder | Italy |
| 9 | Mehdi Léris | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | Pisa Sporting Club | 27 | Wing-back, winger | Algeria |
| 10 | Alessandro Vogliacco | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | U.S. Cremonese | 26 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 11 | Francesco Vicari | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Società Sportiva Calcio Bari | 30 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 12 | Aleš Matějů | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Spezia Calcio | 29 | Defender | Czechia |
| 13 | Mehdi Dorval | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Catanzaro 1929 | 24 | Full-back, left midfielder | Algeria |
| 14 | Davide Faraoni | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Delfino Pescara | 33 | Right-back, right midfielder | Italy |
| 15 | Alex Ferrari | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Unione Calcio Sampdoria | 31 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 16 | Luca Ravanelli | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Unione Calcio Sampdoria | 28 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 17 | Matteo Lovato | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Calcio Padova | 25 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 18 | Filippo Costa | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Lanerossi Vicenza | 30 | Left-back, left midfielder | Italy |
| 19 | Mattia Bani | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Palermo F.C. | 31 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 20 | Leonardo Sernicola | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Benevento | 27 | Full-back | Italy |
| 21 | Tommaso Augello | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Palermo F.C. | 30 | Left-back, left midfielder | Italy |
| 22 | Matteo Bianchetti | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | U.S. Cremonese | 32 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 23 | Simone Romagnoli | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Empoli Football Club | 35 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 24 | Paulo Azzi | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Modena F.C. 2018 S.R.L | 30 | Full-back, wide midfielder | Brazil |
| 25 | Luca Vignali | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Virtus Entella | 29 | Right-back, right midfielder | Italy |
| 26 | Mattia Viti | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Unione Calcio Sampdoria | 23 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 27 | Andrea Giorgini | £9,500£10k | £494,000£494k | FC Südtirol | 23 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 28 | Francesco Zampano | £9,300£9k | £483,600£484k | Modena F.C. 2018 S.R.L | 31 | Full-back, wide midfielder | Italy |
| 29 | Francesco Folino | £9,300£9k | £483,600£484k | Modena F.C. 2018 S.R.L | 23 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 30 | Fabio Depaoli | £9,300£9k | £483,600£484k | Unione Calcio Sampdoria | 28 | Right-back, right winger | Italy |
| 31 | Lorenzo Carissoni | £9,000£9k | £468,000£468k | Calcio Padova | 28 | Centre-back, right midfielder | Italy |
| 32 | Niccolò Pierozzi | £9,000£9k | £468,000£468k | Palermo F.C. | 23 | Full-back | Italy |
| 33 | Antonini | £8,900£9k | £462,800£463k | Catanzaro 1929 | 27 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 34 | Niccolò Corrado | £8,900£9k | £462,800£463k | Empoli Football Club | 25 | Left-back | Italy |
| 35 | Martin Frese | £8,900£9k | £462,800£463k | Hellas Verona FC | 27 | Centre-back | Denmark |
| 36 | Nicolò Brighenti | £8,900£9k | £462,800£463k | Lanerossi Vicenza | 35 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 37 | Stefano Scognamillo | £8,600£9k | £447,200£447k | Benevento | 31 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 38 | Andrea Oliveri | £8,500£9k | £442,000£442k | Ascoli Calcio 1898 | 22 | Right wing-back, right winger | Italy |
| 39 | Giacomo Ricci | £8,200£8k | £426,400£426k | Benevento | 28 | Left-back, left midfielder | Italy |
| 40 | Giangiacomo Magnani | £8,200£8k | £426,400£426k | Palermo F.C. | 29 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 41 | Tommaso Barbieri | £8,000£8k | £416,000£416k | U.S. Cremonese | 22 | Right-back, right midfielder | Italy |
| 42 | Salvatore Elia | £8,000£8k | £416,000£416k | U.S. Cremonese | 26 | Right-back, winger | Italy |
| 43 | Valerio Mantovani | £7,500£8k | £390,000£390k | Società Sportiva Calcio Bari | 29 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 44 | Arturo Calabresi | £7,500£8k | £390,000£390k | Pisa Sporting Club | 29 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 45 | Alessandro Riccio | £7,500£8k | £390,000£390k | Unione Calcio Sampdoria | 23 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 46 | Salvatore Molina | £6,600£7k | £343,200£343k | FC Südtirol | 33 | Wing-back, wide midfielder | Italy |
| 47 | Andrea Papetti | £6,500£7k | £338,000£338k | Lanerossi Vicenza | 23 | Centre-back | Italy |
| 48 | Alessandro Di Pardo | £6,500£7k | £338,000£338k | Unione Calcio Sampdoria | 25 | Right-back, right midfielder | Italy |
| 49 | Bjorn Meijer | £6,500£7k | £338,000£338k | Unione Calcio Sampdoria | 22 | Left-back, left midfielder | Netherlands |
| 50 | Andrea Tiritiello | £6,500£7k | £338,000£338k | Virtus Entella | 30 | Centre-back | Italy |
What each position earns in Serie B
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 29% of what Serie B 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 Serie B club, added together, a week
U.S. Cremonese pay 14 defenders £129,913 a week between them, and Federico Baschirotto takes 25% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Serie B club
24 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Cremonese | Federico Baschirotto | £33,000£33k | 1 |
| Hellas Verona FC | Domagoj Bradaric | £33,000£33k | 2 |
| Palermo F.C. | Emmanuel Gyasi | £24,000£24k | 4 |
| Catanzaro 1929 | Antonio Candela | £21,000£21k | 5 |
| Lanerossi Vicenza | Riccardo Marchizza | £20,000£20k | 6 |
| Pisa Sporting Club | Mehdi Léris | £19,000£19k | 9 |
| Spezia Calcio | Aleš Matějů | £17,000£17k | 12 |
| Società Sportiva Calcio Bari | Francesco Vicari | £17,000£17k | 11 |
| Unione Calcio Sampdoria | Alex Ferrari | £15,000£15k | 15 |
| Delfino Pescara | Davide Faraoni | £15,000£15k | 14 |
| Calcio Padova | Matteo Lovato | £14,000£14k | 17 |
| Benevento | Leonardo Sernicola | £12,000£12k | 20 |
| Modena F.C. 2018 S.R.L | Paulo Azzi | £11,000£11k | 24 |
| Empoli Football Club | Simone Romagnoli | £11,000£11k | 23 |
| Virtus Entella | Luca Vignali | £11,000£11k | 25 |
| FC Südtirol | Andrea Giorgini | £9,500£10k | 27 |
| Ascoli Calcio 1898 | Andrea Oliveri | £8,500£9k | 38 |
| Carrarese Calcio 1908 | Jonas Rouhi | £6,100£6k | 56 |
| S.S. Juve Stabia 1907 | Nicola Pietrangeli | £5,900£6k | 60 |
| AC Reggiana 1919 | Paolo Rozzio | £5,800£6k | 63 |
| Mantova 1911 | Eman Kospo | £3,300£3k | 87 |
| Cesena F.C. | Mihajlo Ilić | £2,900£3k | 93 |
| S.S. Arezzo | No wage held | - | - |
| U.S. Avellino 1912 | No wage held | - | - |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. Serie B ranks 23rd.
| 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 Serie B?
Federico Baschirotto of U.S. Cremonese and Domagoj Bradaric of Hellas Verona FC, on £33,000 a week each in 2026/27, or £1,716,000 a year.
How much do Serie B defenders earn?
The average Serie B defender aged 22 or over earns £6,876 a week, and the median one £5,600. Defenders take 29% of what Serie B pays its players of that age.
Which Serie B club pays its defenders the most?
U.S. Cremonese, £129,913 a week across the 14 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Federico Baschirotto on £33,000.
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 Serie B ranks 23rd of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Serie B squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Serie B players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Serie B players are paid at every age, or Serie B wage bill, club by club.