What footballers are paid at 23
The median 23-year-old in men's football is paid £2,300 a week in 2026/27, across the 1,467 we hold a wage for. The best paid is Bukayo Saka at Arsenal, on £300,000 a week. The most paid at 23 since 2016/17 is Kylian Mbappé, on £893,000 a week at Paris Saint-Germain in 2022/23.
Half the 23-year-olds we hold are paid £2,300 a week or less. A quarter are paid more than £7,500, a tenth more than £19,000, and 289 are paid £10,000 a week or more.
The best-paid 23-year-olds in 2026/27
The top 25 of the 1,467 priced 23-year-olds in men's football
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | LEAGUE | POSITION | WEEKLY | YEARLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | Premier League | AM RL | £300,000 | £15,600,000£15.6m |
| 2 | Hugo Ekitiké | Liverpool | Premier League | AM L, ST | £250,000 | £13,000,000£13.0m |
| 3 | Nico Williams | Athletic Bilbao | La Liga | AM RL | £232,000 | £12,064,000£12.1m |
| 4 | Michael Olise | FC Bayern München | Bundesliga | AM RC | £224,000 | £11,648,000£11.6m |
| 5 | Ryan Gravenberch | Liverpool | Premier League | DM, AM C | £200,000 | £10,400,000£10.4m |
| 6 | Joško Gvardiol | Manchester City | Premier League | D LC | £200,000 | £10,400,000£10.4m |
| 7 | Nico González | Newcastle United | Premier League | DM, AM C | £150,000 | £7,800,000£7.8m |
| 8 | Moisés Caicedo | Chelsea | Premier League | DM | £140,000 | £7,280,000£7.3m |
| 9 | Jarrad Branthwaite | Everton | Premier League | D RLC | £135,000 | £7,020,000£7.0m |
| 10 | Nick Woltemade | Juventus | Serie A | AM/F C | £135,000 | £7,020,000£7.0m |
| 11 | Cole Palmer | Chelsea | Premier League | AM RLC | £130,000 | £6,760,000£6.8m |
| 12 | Nuno Mendes | Paris Saint-Germain | Ligue 1 | D/WB L | £128,000 | £6,656,000£6.7m |
| 13 | Amadou Onana | Aston Villa | Premier League | DM | £110,000 | £5,720,000£5.7m |
| 14 | Noni Madueke | Arsenal | Premier League | AM RLC | £100,000 | £5,200,000£5.2m |
| 15 | Amad | Manchester United | Premier League | WB R, AM RC | £100,000 | £5,200,000£5.2m |
| 16 | Malik Tillman | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | Bundesliga | AM RLC | £98,000 | £5,096,000£5.1m |
| 17 | Lucas Chevalier | Paris Saint-Germain | Ligue 1 | GK | £98,000 | £5,096,000£5.1m |
| 18 | Anthony Elanga | Newcastle United | Premier League | AM RL | £93,000 | £4,836,000£4.8m |
| 19 | Karim Adeyemi | Barcelona | La Liga | AM RLC, F C | £91,000 | £4,732,000£4.7m |
| 20 | Christos Tzolis | Arsenal | Premier League | AM RL | £90,000 | £4,680,000£4.7m |
| 21 | Murillo | Nottingham Forest | Premier League | D C, DM | £89,000 | £4,628,000£4.6m |
| 22 | Ian Maatsen | Aston Villa | Premier League | D/WB L | £86,000 | £4,472,000£4.5m |
| 23 | Piero Hincapié | Arsenal | Premier League | D LC | £82,000 | £4,264,000£4.3m |
| 24 | João Pedro | Chelsea | Premier League | AM RLC, F C | £80,000 | £4,160,000£4.2m |
| 25 | Yan Couto | Como 1907 | Serie A | D/WB/M R | £79,000 | £4,108,000£4.1m |
The median 23-year-old, league by league
2026/27, in every league holding 5 or more priced 23-year-olds
The Premier League pays its 23-year-olds the most, a median of £61,000 a week across 47 players. The Meistriliiga pays the least of the 43, at £100.
The women's game at 23
2026/27, in every women's league holding 5 or more priced 23-year-olds. Across men's football the median at 23 is £2,300 a week.
| LEAGUE | PLAYERS | MEDIAN | BEST PAID | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Super League | 20 | £1,050 | Lauren James | £3,000 |
| NWSL | 18 | £1,000 | Trinity Rodman | £5,600 |
| Frauen-Bundesliga | 27 | £508 | Lena Oberdorf | £3,000 |
| Liga F | 24 | £464 | Claudia Pina | £3,400 |
The highest wages ever paid at 23
Every season since 2016/17, each player's best year at 23
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | SEASON | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | 2022/23 | £893,000 |
| 2 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | 2026/27 | £300,000 |
| 3 | Paul Pogba | Manchester United | 2016/17 | £290,000 |
| 4 | Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund | 2023/24 | £275,000 |
| 5 | Matthijs de Ligt | FC Bayern München | 2023/24 | £263,000 |
| 6 | Hugo Ekitiké | Liverpool | 2026/27 | £250,000 |
| 7 | Reece James | Chelsea | 2023/24 | £250,000 |
| 8 | Nico Williams | Athletic Bilbao | 2026/27 | £232,000 |
| 9 | Marquinhos | Paris Saint-Germain | 2017/18 | £228,000 |
| 10 | Michael Olise | FC Bayern München | 2026/27 | £224,000 |
| 11 | Lucas Hernández | FC Bayern München | 2019/20 | £224,000 |
| 12 | João Félix | Barcelona | 2023/24 | £224,000 |
| 13 | Paulo Dybala | Juventus | 2017/18 | £222,000 |
| 14 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | Paris Saint-Germain | 2022/23 | £215,000 |
| 15 | Dušan Vlahovic | Juventus | 2023/24 | £214,000 |
| 16 | Ousmane Dembélé | Barcelona | 2020/21 | £212,000 |
| 17 | Saúl | Atlético Madrid | 2018/19 | £207,000 |
| 18 | Aurélien Tchouaméni | Real Madrid | 2023/24 | £206,000 |
| 19 | Ryan Gravenberch | Liverpool | 2026/27 | £200,000 |
| 20 | Joško Gvardiol | Manchester City | 2026/27 | £200,000 |
The best-paid 23-year-old, season by season
The top wage at 23 in each season we hold, 2016/17 to 2026/27
| SEASON | PLAYER | CLUB | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | £300,000 |
| 2024/25 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | £250,000 |
| 2023/24 | Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund | £275,000 |
| 2022/23 | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | £893,000 |
| 2021/22 | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United | £200,000 |
| 2020/21 | Ousmane Dembélé | Barcelona | £212,000 |
| 2019/20 | Lucas Hernández | FC Bayern München | £224,000 |
| 2018/19 | Saúl | Atlético Madrid | £207,000 |
| 2017/18 | Marquinhos | Paris Saint-Germain | £228,000 |
| 2016/17 | Paul Pogba | Manchester United | £290,000 |
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 23-year-old footballer earn a week?
The median is £2,300 a week in 2026/27, across the 1,467 23-year-olds we hold a wage for in men's football. A quarter of them are paid more than £7,500 a week and a tenth more than £19,000.
Who is the highest-paid 23-year-old footballer?
Bukayo Saka at Arsenal, on £300,000 a week, which is £15,600,000 a year. Hugo Ekitiké at Liverpool is next on £250,000 a week.
What is the most a 23-year-old footballer has been paid?
Kylian Mbappé, on £893,000 a week at Paris Saint-Germain in 2022/23, the highest wage at 23 in any season since 2016/17. Bukayo Saka is second, on £300,000 at Arsenal in 2026/27.
How many 23-year-old footballers are paid £10,000 a week?
289 of the 1,467, which is 20%. At 24 it is 309 of 1,471.
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 23 the median is £2,300.
Where to next
The same wages, a year either side and league by league
At 22, the median is £1,700 a week. At 24, it is £2,700. See how pay rises and falls across a career , or Premier League wages by age .