What footballers are paid at 31
The median 31-year-old in men's football is paid £4,500 a week in 2026/27, across the 654 we hold a wage for. The best paid is Harry Kane at FC Bayern München, on £381,000 a week. The most paid at 31 since 2016/17 is Neymar, on £2,000,000 a week at Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club in 2023/24.
Half the 31-year-olds we hold are paid £4,500 a week or less. A quarter are paid more than £12,500, a tenth more than £35,000, and 182 are paid £10,000 a week or more.
The best-paid 31-year-olds in 2026/27
The top 25 of the 654 priced 31-year-olds in men's football
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | LEAGUE | POSITION | WEEKLY | YEARLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Kane | FC Bayern München | Bundesliga | AM/F C | £381,000 | £19,812,000£19.8m |
| 2 | Marquinhos | Paris Saint-Germain | Ligue 1 | D C, DM | £279,000 | £14,508,000£14.5m |
| 3 | João Cancelo | Barcelona | La Liga | D/WB RL | £249,000 | £12,948,000£12.9m |
| 4 | Ederson | Fenerbahçe A.Ş. | Süper Lig | GK | £229,000 | £11,908,000£11.9m |
| 5 | Yannick Carrasco | Al-Shabab Football Club | Saudi Pro League | AM L | £215,000 | £11,180,000£11.2m |
| 6 | Paulo Dybala | Associazione Sportiva Roma | Serie A | AM RC, F C | £215,000 | £11,180,000£11.2m |
| 7 | John Stones | Inter Milan | Serie A | D RC, DM | £200,000 | £10,400,000£10.4m |
| 8 | Jordan Pickford | Everton | Premier League | GK | £190,000 | £9,880,000£9.9m |
| 9 | Hakan Çalhanoglu | Inter Milan | Serie A | DM | £185,000 | £9,620,000£9.6m |
| 10 | Andrew Robertson | Tottenham Hotspur | Premier League | D/WB L | £175,000 | £9,100,000£9.1m |
| 11 | Rodrigo De Paul | Inter Miami CF | Major League Soccer | AM RC | £170,000 | £8,840,000£8.8m |
| 12 | Mateo Kovacic | Manchester City | Premier League | DM | £165,000 | £8,580,000£8.6m |
| 13 | Talisca | Fenerbahçe A.Ş. | Süper Lig | AM RC, F C | £156,000 | £8,112,000£8.1m |
| 14 | Iñaki Williams | Athletic Bilbao | La Liga | AM RLC, F C | £149,000 | £7,748,000£7.7m |
| 15 | Piotr Zielinski | Inter Milan | Serie A | AM C | £138,000 | £7,176,000£7.2m |
| 16 | Lucas Digne | Paris Saint-Germain | Ligue 1 | D/WB L | £135,000 | £7,020,000£7.0m |
| 17 | Marcel Sabitzer | Borussia Dortmund | Bundesliga | DM, AM C | £133,000 | £6,916,000£6.9m |
| 18 | Emre Can | Borussia Dortmund | Bundesliga | D C, DM | £133,000 | £6,916,000£6.9m |
| 19 | Miguel Almirón | Atlanta United FC | Major League Soccer | AM RLC | £112,000 | £5,824,000£5.8m |
| 20 | Matteo Politano | Napoli | Serie A | AM RLC | £108,000 | £5,616,000£5.6m |
| 21 | Brice Samba | Stade Rennais FC | Ligue 1 | GK | £102,000 | £5,304,000£5.3m |
| 22 | Christian Nørgaard | Everton | Premier League | DM | £100,000 | £5,200,000£5.2m |
| 23 | Giovanni Di Lorenzo | Napoli | Serie A | D RC | £93,000 | £4,836,000£4.8m |
| 24 | Ross Barkley | Aston Villa | Premier League | DM, AM C | £88,000 | £4,576,000£4.6m |
| 25 | Sven Bender | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | Bundesliga | D (C), DM, M (C) | £86,000 | £4,472,000£4.5m |
The median 31-year-old, league by league
2026/27, in every league holding 5 or more priced 31-year-olds
Serie A pays its 31-year-olds the most, a median of £56,500 a week across 16 players. The Veikkausliiga pays the least of the 40, at £441.
The women's game at 31
2026/27, in every women's league holding 5 or more priced 31-year-olds. Across men's football the median at 31 is £4,500 a week.
| LEAGUE | PLAYERS | MEDIAN | BEST PAID | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWSL | 13 | £1,800 | Sam Kerr | £5,600 |
| Women's Super League | 10 | £1,750 | Alexia Putellas | £14,000 |
| Frauen-Bundesliga | 5 | £724 | Magdalena Eriksson | £2,900 |
| Liga F | 11 | £412 | Antônia | £1,500 |
The highest wages ever paid at 31
Every season since 2016/17, each player's best year at 31
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | SEASON | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neymar | Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club | 2023/24 | £2,000,000 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 2018/19 | £1,000,000 |
| 3 | Sadio Mané | Al-Nassr Football Club | 2023/24 | £676,000 |
| 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 2016/17 | £583,000 |
| 5 | Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur | 2020/21 | £564,000 |
| 6 | Luis Suárez | Barcelona | 2018/19 | £554,000 |
| 7 | João Cancelo | Barcelona | 2024/25 | £478,000 |
| 8 | Hulk | Shanghai Port | 2018/19 | £469,000 |
| 9 | Fabinho | Al-Ittihad Club (KSA) | 2024/25 | £411,000 |
| 10 | Eden Hazard | Real Madrid | 2022/23 | £384,000 |
| 11 | Harry Kane | FC Bayern München | 2026/27 | £381,000 |
| 12 | David De Gea | Manchester United | 2022/23 | £375,000 |
| 13 | David Alaba | Real Madrid | 2023/24 | £370,000 |
| 14 | Marouane Fellaini | Shandong Taishan | 2019/20 | £362,000 |
| 15 | Robert Lewandowski | FC Bayern München | 2020/21 | £351,000 |
| 16 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 2023/24 | £350,000 |
| 17 | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 2022/23 | £340,000 |
| 18 | Marcelo | Real Madrid | 2019/20 | £331,000 |
| 19 | Roberto Firmino | Al-Ahli Saudi Sport Club | 2023/24 | £330,000 |
| 20 | Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | 2017/18 | £320,000 |
The best-paid 31-year-old, season by season
The top wage at 31 in each season we hold, 2016/17 to 2026/27
| SEASON | PLAYER | CLUB | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | Harry Kane | FC Bayern München | £381,000 |
| 2024/25 | João Cancelo | Barcelona | £478,000 |
| 2023/24 | Neymar | Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club | £2,000,000 |
| 2022/23 | Eden Hazard | Real Madrid | £384,000 |
| 2021/22 | Gareth Bale | Real Madrid | £528,000 |
| 2020/21 | Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur | £564,000 |
| 2019/20 | Marouane Fellaini | Shandong Taishan | £362,000 |
| 2018/19 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | £1,000,000 |
| 2017/18 | Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | £320,000 |
| 2016/17 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | £583,000 |
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 31-year-old footballer earn a week?
The median is £4,500 a week in 2026/27, across the 654 31-year-olds we hold a wage for in men's football. A quarter of them are paid more than £12,500 a week and a tenth more than £35,000.
Who is the highest-paid 31-year-old footballer?
Harry Kane at FC Bayern München, on £381,000 a week, which is £19,812,000 a year. Marquinhos at Paris Saint-Germain is next on £279,000 a week.
What is the most a 31-year-old footballer has been paid?
Neymar, on £2,000,000 a week at Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club in 2023/24, the highest wage at 31 in any season since 2016/17. Lionel Messi is second, on £1,000,000 at Barcelona in 2018/19.
How many 31-year-old footballers are paid £10,000 a week?
182 of the 654, which is 28%. At 32 it is 173 of 609.
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 31 the median is £4,500.
Where to next
The same wages, a year either side and league by league
At 30, the median is £4,400 a week. At 32, it is £4,500. See how pay rises and falls across a career , or Serie A wages by age .