What footballers are paid at 21
The median 21-year-old in men's football is paid £900 a week in 2026/27, across the 1,707 we hold a wage for. The best paid is Jhon Durán at Sport Lisboa e Benfica, on £300,000 a week. The most paid at 21 since 2016/17 is Kylian Mbappé, on £403,000 a week at Paris Saint-Germain in 2020/21.
Half the 21-year-olds we hold are paid £900 a week or less. A quarter are paid more than £3,500, a tenth more than £10,000, and 175 are paid £10,000 a week or more.
The best-paid 21-year-olds in 2026/27
The top 25 of the 1,707 priced 21-year-olds in men's football
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | LEAGUE | POSITION | WEEKLY | YEARLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jhon Durán | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | Primeira Liga | ST | £300,000 | £15,600,000£15.6m |
| 2 | Miloš Kerkez | Liverpool | Premier League | D/WB/M L | £140,000 | £7,280,000£7.3m |
| 3 | Sávio | Manchester City | Premier League | AM RL | £120,000 | £6,240,000£6.2m |
| 4 | Andrey Santos | Manchester United | Premier League | DM | £120,000 | £6,240,000£6.2m |
| 5 | Aleksandar Pavlovic | FC Bayern München | Bundesliga | DM | £116,000 | £6,032,000£6.0m |
| 6 | Rayan Cherki | Manchester City | Premier League | AM RLC, F C | £110,000 | £5,720,000£5.7m |
| 7 | Carney Chukwuemeka | Borussia Dortmund | Bundesliga | DM, AM C | £101,000 | £5,252,000£5.3m |
| 8 | Alejandro Garnacho | Aston Villa | Premier League | AM RL | £93,000 | £4,836,000£4.8m |
| 9 | Abdukodir Khusanov | Manchester City | Premier League | D RC | £83,000 | £4,316,000£4.3m |
| 10 | Alejandro Balde | Barcelona | La Liga | D/WB L | £76,000 | £3,952,000£4.0m |
| 11 | Omari Hutchinson | AC Milan | Serie A | AM RLC | £74,000 | £3,848,000£3.8m |
| 12 | Roméo Lavia | Chelsea | Premier League | DM | £68,000 | £3,536,000£3.5m |
| 13 | Gonzalo | Real Madrid | La Liga | AM RL, ST | £67,000 | £3,484,000£3.5m |
| 14 | Jonas Urbig | FC Bayern München | Bundesliga | GK | £66,000 | £3,432,000£3.4m |
| 15 | Habib Diarra | Sunderland | Premier League | DM, AM C | £66,000 | £3,432,000£3.4m |
| 16 | Brajan Gruda | RB Leipzig | Bundesliga | AM RLC | £63,000 | £3,276,000£3.3m |
| 17 | Cristhian Mosquera | Arsenal | Premier League | D RC | £62,000 | £3,224,000£3.2m |
| 18 | Marin Petkov | Al-Taawoun Football Club | Saudi Pro League | AM RC | £62,000 | £3,224,000£3.2m |
| 19 | Mateus Fernandes | Tottenham Hotspur | Premier League | AM C | £59,000 | £3,068,000£3.1m |
| 20 | Alex Scott | AFC Bournemouth | Premier League | DM, AM RC | £58,000 | £3,016,000£3.0m |
| 21 | Beraldo (Lucas Lopes Beraldo) | Paris Saint-Germain | Ligue 1 | D C | £57,000 | £2,964,000£3.0m |
| 22 | Wesley (Wesley Vinicius França Lima) | Associazione Sportiva Roma | Serie A | D/WB RL, M R | £57,000 | £2,964,000£3.0m |
| 23 | Yoan Bonny | Inter Milan | Serie A | AM/F C | £57,000 | £2,964,000£3.0m |
| 24 | Samuel Iling | Bolton Wanderers | Championship | WB L, AM RL | £53,000 | £2,756,000£2.8m |
| 25 | Iker Almena | HNK Hajduk Split | Croatian First League | AM RLC | £52,000 | £2,704,000£2.7m |
The median 21-year-old, league by league
2026/27, in every league holding 5 or more priced 21-year-olds
The Premier League pays its 21-year-olds the most, a median of £22,500 a week across 52 players. The I-League pays the least of the 43, at £72.
The women's game at 21
2026/27, in every women's league holding 5 or more priced 21-year-olds. Across men's football the median at 21 is £900 a week.
| LEAGUE | PLAYERS | MEDIAN | BEST PAID | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Super League | 20 | £874 | Aggie Beever-Jones | £2,500 |
| NWSL | 11 | £828 | Aaliyah Farmer | £1,500 |
| Frauen-Bundesliga | 28 | £555 | Ena Mahmutovic | £1,300 |
| Liga F | 20 | £494 | Esmee Brugts | £2,300 |
The highest wages ever paid at 21
Every season since 2016/17, each player's best year at 21
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | SEASON | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | 2020/21 | £403,000 |
| 2 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 2022/23 | £340,000 |
| 3 | Jhon Durán | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | 2026/27 | £300,000 |
| 4 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | 2023/24 | £250,000 |
| 5 | Jadon Sancho | Manchester United | 2021/22 | £250,000 |
| 6 | Wesley Fofana | Chelsea | 2022/23 | £230,000 |
| 7 | Dušan Vlahovic | Juventus | 2021/22 | £210,000 |
| 8 | Ousmane Dembélé | Barcelona | 2018/19 | £208,000 |
| 9 | Gabri Veiga | Al-Ahli Saudi Sport Club | 2023/24 | £206,000 |
| 10 | Joško Gvardiol | Manchester City | 2023/24 | £200,000 |
| 11 | Matthijs de Ligt | Juventus | 2021/22 | £200,000 |
| 12 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | AC Milan | 2020/21 | £195,000 |
| 13 | Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid | 2022/23 | £186,000 |
| 14 | Gabriel Martinelli | Arsenal | 2022/23 | £180,000 |
| 15 | Enzo Fernández | Chelsea | 2022/23 | £180,000 |
| 16 | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United | 2019/20 | £180,000 |
| 17 | Luka Jovic | Real Madrid | 2019/20 | £166,000 |
| 18 | Ryan Gravenberch | Liverpool | 2023/24 | £160,000 |
| 19 | João Félix | Atlético Madrid | 2021/22 | £154,000 |
| 20 | Mykhaylo Mudryk | Chelsea | 2022/23 | £150,000 |
The best-paid 21-year-old, season by season
The top wage at 21 in each season we hold, 2016/17 to 2026/27
| SEASON | PLAYER | CLUB | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | Jhon Durán | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | £300,000 |
| 2024/25 | Jhon Durán | Zenit St. Petersburg | £186,000 |
| 2023/24 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | £250,000 |
| 2022/23 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | £340,000 |
| 2021/22 | Jadon Sancho | Manchester United | £250,000 |
| 2020/21 | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | £403,000 |
| 2019/20 | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United | £180,000 |
| 2018/19 | Ousmane Dembélé | Barcelona | £208,000 |
| 2017/18 | Marco Asensio | Real Madrid | £143,000 |
| 2016/17 | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | £150,000 |
Every age at a glance
2026/27, men's football, 24,475 priced players aged 16 to 38
| AGE | PLAYERS | MEDIAN | TOP 10% FROM | BEST PAID | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1,223 | £315 | £778 | Rio Ngumoha | £25,000 |
| 17 | 1,480 | £345 | £1,700 | Franco Mastantuono | £104,000 |
| 18 | 2,282 | £370 | £1,900 | Lamine Yamal | £281,000 |
| 19 | 2,234 | £482 | £3,100 | Roger Fernandes | £186,000 |
| 20 | 1,895 | £623 | £7,100 | Kenan Yıldız | £184,000 |
| 21 | 1,707 | £900 | £10,000 | Jhon Durán | £300,000 |
| 22 | 1,521 | £1,700 | £16,000 | Jamal Musiala | £414,000 |
| 23 | 1,467 | £2,300 | £19,000 | Bukayo Saka | £300,000 |
| 24 | 1,471 | £2,700 | £23,000 | Erling Haaland | £450,000 |
| 25 | 1,461 | £3,100 | £29,000 | João Félix | £580,000 |
| 26 | 1,228 | £3,400 | £29,000 | Kylian Mbappé | £497,000 |
| 27 | 1,175 | £4,500 | £35,000 | Théo Hernández | £331,000 |
| 28 | 1,112 | £4,650 | £33,000 | Rúben Neves | £414,000 |
| 29 | 887 | £4,300 | £34,000 | Kingsley Coman | £414,000 |
| 30 | 806 | £4,400 | £32,000 | Otávio | £472,000 |
| 31 | 654 | £4,500 | £35,000 | Harry Kane | £381,000 |
| 32 | 609 | £4,500 | £29,000 | Jan Oblak | £308,000 |
| 33 | 426 | £4,150 | £30,000 | Sadio Mané | £625,000 |
| 34 | 336 | £3,900 | £34,000 | Kalidou Koulibaly | £497,000 |
| 35 | 212 | £3,550 | £24,000 | Nacho | £166,000 |
| 36 | 153 | £4,100 | £27,000 | Robert Lewandowski | £432,000 |
| 37 | 73 | £3,100 | £12,000 | Iago Aspas | £44,000 |
| 38 | 63 | £4,400 | £22,000 | Lionel Messi | £222,000 |
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 21-year-old footballer earn a week?
The median is £900 a week in 2026/27, across the 1,707 21-year-olds we hold a wage for in men's football. A quarter of them are paid more than £3,500 a week and a tenth more than £10,000.
Who is the highest-paid 21-year-old footballer?
Jhon Durán at Sport Lisboa e Benfica, on £300,000 a week, which is £15,600,000 a year. Miloš Kerkez at Liverpool is next on £140,000 a week.
What is the most a 21-year-old footballer has been paid?
Kylian Mbappé, on £403,000 a week at Paris Saint-Germain in 2020/21, the highest wage at 21 in any season since 2016/17. Erling Haaland is second, on £340,000 at Manchester City in 2022/23.
How many 21-year-old footballers are paid £10,000 a week?
175 of the 1,707, which is 10%. At 22 it is 225 of 1,521.
At what age are footballers paid the most?
28. The median 28-year-old is paid £4,650 a week in 2026/27, the highest of any age. At 21 the median is £900.
Where to next
The same wages, a year either side and league by league
At 20, the median is £623 a week. At 22, it is £1,700. See how pay rises and falls across a career , or Premier League wages by age .