SUPER LIGA · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Super Liga defenders
Nicolás Otamendi is the best-paid defender in the Super Liga, on £41,000 a week at Club Atlético River Plate, or £2,132,000 a year. Marcos Acuña is next on £34,000 at Club Atlético River Plate. We hold wages for 460 Super Liga defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £41k
AVERAGE WAGE £3,253
SHARE OF WAGE BILL26%
TOP 10 A WEEK £220k
WAGES HELD460
The 50 best-paid Super 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 | Nicolás Otamendi | £41,000£41k | £2,132,000£2.1m | Club Atlético River Plate | 37 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 2 | Marcos Acuña | £34,000£34k | £1,768,000£1.8m | Club Atlético River Plate | 33 | Left-back | Argentina |
| 3 | Alfonso Espino | £28,000£28k | £1,456,000£1.5m | Racing Club de Avellaneda | 33 | Left-back | Uruguay |
| 4 | Lucas Martínez Quarta | £27,000£27k | £1,404,000£1.4m | Club Atlético River Plate | 29 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 5 | Franco Cervi | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | Club Atlético Rosario Central | 31 | Left wing-back, left winger | Argentina |
| 6 | Giovanni González | £17,000£17k | £884,000£884k | Club Atlético River Plate | 30 | Defender, right midfielder | Uruguay |
| 7 | Gonzalo Montiel | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Club Atlético River Plate | 28 | Right-back | Argentina |
| 8 | Francisco Ortega | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Club Atlético River Plate | 26 | Left-back | Argentina |
| 9 | Rodrigo Battaglia | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Club Atlético Boca Juniors | 34 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Argentina |
| 10 | Marcos Rojo | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Racing Club de Avellaneda | 35 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 11 | Emanuel Mammana | £9,300£9k | £483,600£484k | Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield | 29 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 12 | Lautaro Blanco | £9,000£9k | £468,000£468k | Club Atlético Boca Juniors | 26 | Left-back, left midfielder | Argentina |
| 13 | Malcom Braida | £8,900£9k | £462,800£463k | Club Atlético Boca Juniors | 28 | Left-back, left winger | Argentina |
| 14 | Nicolás Tripichio | £8,900£9k | £462,800£463k | Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro | 29 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Argentina |
| 15 | Santiago Montiel | £8,600£9k | £447,200£447k | Club Atlético Independiente | 24 | Left wing-back, winger | Argentina |
| 16 | Elías Gómez | £8,300£8k | £431,600£432k | Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield | 31 | Left-back | Argentina |
| 17 | Marco Pellegrino | £7,900£8k | £410,800£411k | Club Atlético Boca Juniors | 22 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 18 | Santiago Arias | £7,600£8k | £395,200£395k | Club Atlético Independiente | 33 | Right-back | Colombia |
| 19 | Fabricio Bustos | £7,300£7k | £379,600£380k | Club Atlético River Plate | 29 | Right-back | Argentina |
| 20 | Germán Conti | £7,200£7k | £374,400£374k | Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata | 31 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 21 | Juan Carlos Portillo | £7,100£7k | £369,200£369k | Club Atlético River Plate | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Argentina |
| 22 | Lucas Blondel | £7,000£7k | £364,000£364k | Club Atlético Boca Juniors | 28 | Right-back | Switzerland |
| 23 | Nicolás Figal | £6,900£7k | £358,800£359k | Club Atlético Boca Juniors | 31 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 24 | Ramiro Funes Mori | £6,700£7k | £348,400£348k | Club Estudiantes de La Plata | 34 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 25 | Carlos Izquierdoz | £6,400£6k | £332,800£333k | Club Atlético Lanús | 36 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 26 | Juan Barinaga | £6,100£6k | £317,200£317k | Racing Club de Avellaneda | 24 | Right-back, right midfielder | Argentina |
| 27 | Juan Cruz Komar | £6,100£6k | £317,200£317k | Club Atlético Rosario Central | 28 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 28 | Leonardo Godoy | £6,000£6k | £312,000£312k | Club Atlético Independiente | 30 | Right-back | Argentina |
| 29 | Martín Nervo | £5,900£6k | £306,800£307k | Club Atlético Huracán | 34 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 30 | Ayrton Costa | £5,500£6k | £286,000£286k | Club Atlético Boca Juniors | 26 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 31 | Héctor Martínez | £5,400£5k | £280,800£281k | Club Atlético River Plate | 27 | Centre-back | Paraguay |
| 32 | Facundo Mallo | £5,300£5k | £275,600£276k | Club Atlético Rosario Central | 30 | Centre-back | Uruguay |
| 33 | Emanuel Coronel | £5,300£5k | £275,600£276k | Club Atlético Rosario Central | 28 | Right-back | Argentina |
| 34 | Gastón Benedetti | £5,200£5k | £270,400£270k | Club Estudiantes de La Plata | 24 | Left-back | Argentina |
| 35 | Gastón Hernández | £5,200£5k | £270,400£270k | Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro | 27 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 36 | Jalil Elías | £5,100£5k | £265,200£265k | Club Atlético Tigre | 29 | Right wing-back, defensive midfielder | Syria |
| 37 | Leandro González Pírez | £5,000£5k | £260,000£260k | Club Estudiantes de La Plata | 33 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 38 | Lautaro Giannetti | £5,000£5k | £260,000£260k | Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys | 31 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 39 | Lisandro Magallán | £5,000£5k | £260,000£260k | Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield | 31 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 40 | Nazareno Colombo | £4,900£5k | £254,800£255k | Racing Club de Avellaneda | 26 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 41 | Marco Di Cesare | £4,900£5k | £254,800£255k | Racing Club de Avellaneda | 23 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 42 | Miguel Ángel Navarro | £4,900£5k | £254,800£255k | Club Atlético Talleres de Córdoba | 26 | Left-back | Venezuela |
| 43 | Matías Catalán | £4,900£5k | £254,800£255k | Club Atlético Talleres de Córdoba | 32 | Centre-back | Chile |
| 44 | Santiago Núñez | £4,600£5k | £239,200£239k | Club Estudiantes de La Plata | 25 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 45 | Tomás Guidara | £4,600£5k | £239,200£239k | Club Atlético Lanús | 29 | Right-back | Argentina |
| 46 | Víctor Cuesta | £4,500£5k | £234,000£234k | Club Atlético Platense | 36 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Argentina |
| 47 | Claudio Bravo | £4,400£4k | £228,800£229k | Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors | 28 | Left-back | Argentina |
| 48 | Federico Ricca | £4,300£4k | £223,600£224k | Club Atlético Belgrano | 30 | Centre-back | Uruguay |
| 49 | Eric Meza | £4,300£4k | £223,600£224k | Club Estudiantes de La Plata | 26 | Full-back | Argentina |
| 50 | Facundo Zabala | £4,300£4k | £223,600£224k | Club Atlético Independiente | 26 | Left-back | Argentina |
What each position earns in the Super Liga
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 26% of what the Super 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 Super Liga club, added together, a week
Club Atlético River Plate pay 16 defenders £171,778 a week between them, and Nicolás Otamendi takes 24% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Super Liga club
31 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The Super Liga ranks 20th.
| 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 Super Liga?
Nicolás Otamendi of Club Atlético River Plate, on £41,000 a week in 2026/27, or £2,132,000 a year. Marcos Acuña of Club Atlético River Plate is second on £34,000 a week.
How much do Super Liga defenders earn?
The average Super Liga defender aged 22 or over earns £3,253 a week, and the median one £2,000. Defenders take 26% of what the Super Liga pays its players of that age.
Which Super Liga club pays its defenders the most?
Club Atlético River Plate, £171,778 a week across the 16 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Nicolás Otamendi on £41,000.
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 Super Liga ranks 20th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Super Liga squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Super Liga players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Super Liga players are paid at every age, or the Super Liga wage bill, club by club.