What footballers are paid at 34
The median 34-year-old in men's football is paid £3,900 a week in 2026/27, across the 336 we hold a wage for. The best paid is Kalidou Koulibaly at Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club, on £497,000 a week. The most paid at 34 since 2016/17 is Lionel Messi, on £1,000,000 a week at Paris Saint-Germain in 2021/22.
Half the 34-year-olds we hold are paid £3,900 a week or less. A quarter are paid more than £10,000, a tenth more than £34,000, and 85 are paid £10,000 a week or more.
The best-paid 34-year-olds in 2026/27
The top 25 of the 336 priced 34-year-olds in men's football
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | LEAGUE | POSITION | WEEKLY | YEARLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kalidou Koulibaly | Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club | Saudi Pro League | D C | £497,000 | £25,844,000£25.8m |
| 2 | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | Premier League | D C | £350,000 | £18,200,000£18.2m |
| 3 | N'Golo Kanté | Fenerbahçe A.Ş. | Süper Lig | DM | £348,000 | £18,096,000£18.1m |
| 4 | Antoine Griezmann | Orlando City SC | Major League Soccer | AM RLC, F C | £232,000 | £12,064,000£12.1m |
| 5 | Íñigo Martínez | Al-Nassr Football Club | Saudi Pro League | D C | £232,000 | £12,064,000£12.1m |
| 6 | Kevin De Bruyne | Napoli | Serie A | AM C | £185,000 | £9,620,000£9.6m |
| 7 | Yassine Bounou | Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club | Saudi Pro League | GK | £166,000 | £8,632,000£8.6m |
| 8 | Alexandre Lacazette | Neom Sports Club | Saudi Pro League | ST | £133,000 | £6,916,000£6.9m |
| 9 | Kieran Trippier | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Championship | D/WB R | £115,000 | £5,980,000£6.0m |
| 10 | Pascal Groß | Brighton & Hove Albion | Premier League | DM, AM C | £115,000 | £5,980,000£6.0m |
| 11 | Lucas Vázquez | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | Bundesliga | D/WB/AM R | £108,000 | £5,616,000£5.6m |
| 12 | David De Gea | ACF Fiorentina | Serie A | GK | £94,000 | £4,888,000£4.9m |
| 13 | Ilkay Gündogan | Galatasaray A.Ş. | Süper Lig | DM, AM C | £94,000 | £4,888,000£4.9m |
| 14 | Lorenzo Insigne | Unione Calcio Sampdoria | Serie B | AM L, ST | £92,000 | £4,784,000£4.8m |
| 15 | Raúl Jiménez | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Championship | ST | £88,000 | £4,576,000£4.6m |
| 16 | Andrej Kramaric | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | Bundesliga | AM RLC, F C | £86,000 | £4,472,000£4.5m |
| 17 | Duván Zapata | Torino | Serie A | ST | £85,000 | £4,420,000£4.4m |
| 18 | Kevin Kampl | RB Leipzig | Bundesliga | DM | £83,000 | £4,316,000£4.3m |
| 19 | Sergio Canales | Racing Santander | La Liga | AM C | £81,000 | £4,212,000£4.2m |
| 20 | Christian Benteke | D.C. United | Major League Soccer | ST | £72,000 | £3,744,000£3.7m |
| 21 | Bruno Henrique | Flamengo | Brasileirão Série A | AM L, ST | £66,000 | £3,432,000£3.4m |
| 22 | Danny Welbeck | Chelsea | Premier League | AM RL, ST | £64,000 | £3,328,000£3.3m |
| 23 | Allan | Botafogo | Brasileirão Série A | DM | £50,000 | £2,600,000£2.6m |
| 24 | Stefan Savic | Trabzonspor A.Ş. | Süper Lig | D C | £50,000 | £2,600,000£2.6m |
| 25 | Benjamin André | LOSC Lille | Ligue 1 | DM | £48,000 | £2,496,000£2.5m |
The median 34-year-old, league by league
2026/27, in every league holding 5 or more priced 34-year-olds
The Premier League pays its 34-year-olds the most, a median of £43,000 a week across 9 players. The Scottish Championship pays the least of the 31, at £465.
The highest wages ever paid at 34
Every season since 2016/17, each player's best year at 34
The best-paid 34-year-old, season by season
The top wage at 34 in each season we hold, 2016/17 to 2026/27
| SEASON | PLAYER | CLUB | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | Kalidou Koulibaly | Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club | £497,000 |
| 2024/25 | Kalidou Koulibaly | Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club | £493,000 |
| 2023/24 | Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona | £296,000 |
| 2022/23 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | £278,000 |
| 2021/22 | Lionel Messi | Paris Saint-Germain | £1,000,000 |
| 2020/21 | Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid | £338,000 |
| 2019/20 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | £950,000 |
| 2018/19 | Arjen Robben | FC Bayern München | £120,000 |
| 2017/18 | Franck Ribéry | FC Bayern München | £273,000 |
| 2016/17 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Manchester United | £220,000 |
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 34-year-old footballer earn a week?
The median is £3,900 a week in 2026/27, across the 336 34-year-olds we hold a wage for in men's football. A quarter of them are paid more than £10,000 a week and a tenth more than £34,000.
Who is the highest-paid 34-year-old footballer?
Kalidou Koulibaly at Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club, on £497,000 a week, which is £25,844,000 a year. Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool is next on £350,000 a week.
What is the most a 34-year-old footballer has been paid?
Lionel Messi, on £1,000,000 a week at Paris Saint-Germain in 2021/22, the highest wage at 34 in any season since 2016/17. Cristiano Ronaldo is second, on £950,000 at Juventus in 2019/20.
How many 34-year-old footballers are paid £10,000 a week?
85 of the 336, which is 25%. At 35 it is 42 of 212.
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 34 the median is £3,900.
Where to next
The same wages, a year either side and league by league
At 33, the median is £4,150 a week. At 35, it is £3,550. See how pay rises and falls across a career , or Premier League wages by age .