What footballers are paid at 35
The median 35-year-old in men's football is paid £3,550 a week in 2026/27, across the 212 we hold a wage for. The best paid is Nacho at Al-Qadsiah Football Club, on £166,000 a week. The most paid at 35 since 2016/17 is Karim Benzema, on £3,000,000 a week at Al-Ittihad Club (KSA) in 2023/24.
Half the 35-year-olds we hold are paid £3,550 a week or less. A quarter are paid more than £8,000, a tenth more than £24,000, and 42 are paid £10,000 a week or more.
The best-paid 35-year-olds in 2026/27
The top 25 of the 212 priced 35-year-olds in men's football
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | LEAGUE | POSITION | WEEKLY | YEARLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nacho | Al-Qadsiah Football Club | Saudi Pro League | D C | £166,000 | £8,632,000£8.6m |
| 2 | Kyle Walker | Burnley | Championship | D RC | £100,000 | £5,200,000£5.2m |
| 3 | Oliver Baumann | TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | Bundesliga | GK | £74,000 | £3,848,000£3.8m |
| 4 | Yuri | Athletic Bilbao | La Liga | D/WB L | £67,000 | £3,484,000£3.5m |
| 5 | Jordan Henderson | Chelsea | Premier League | DM | £65,000 | £3,380,000£3.4m |
| 6 | Mateusz Klich | Cracovia | Ekstraklasa | AM C | £61,000 | £3,172,000£3.2m |
| 7 | Anthony Moris | Al-Khaleej FC | Saudi Pro League | GK | £59,000 | £3,068,000£3.1m |
| 8 | David López | Girona | La Liga 2 | D C | £58,000 | £3,016,000£3.0m |
| 9 | Kevin Trapp | Paris FC | Ligue 1 | GK | £58,000 | £3,016,000£3.0m |
| 10 | Péter Gulácsi | Villarreal | La Liga | GK | £57,000 | £2,964,000£3.0m |
| 11 | Lukás Hrádecký | AS Monaco | Ligue 1 | GK | £50,000 | £2,600,000£2.6m |
| 12 | Wojciech Szczesny | Barcelona | La Liga | GK | £48,000 | £2,496,000£2.5m |
| 13 | Marco Parolo | Lazio | Serie A | D (C), DM, M (C) | £38,000 | £1,976,000£2.0m |
| 14 | Yûya Ôsako | Vissel Kobe | J1 League | AM/F C | £34,000 | £1,768,000£1.8m |
| 15 | Thomas Müller | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Major League Soccer | AM RC, F C | £34,000 | £1,768,000£1.8m |
| 16 | Edin Visca | Başakşehir Futbol Kulübü | Süper Lig | AM RL | £33,000 | £1,716,000£1.7m |
| 17 | Mourad Batna | Al-Fateh Football Club | Saudi Pro League | AM R | £32,000 | £1,664,000£1.7m |
| 18 | Daley Blind | AFC Ajax | Eredivisie | D LC | £31,000 | £1,612,000£1.6m |
| 19 | Alex McCarthy | Leicester City | League One | GK | £27,000 | £1,404,000£1.4m |
| 20 | Ali Al-Bulayhi | Al-Shabab Football Club | Saudi Pro League | D C | £26,000 | £1,352,000£1.4m |
| 21 | Pietro Terracciano | AC Milan | Serie A | GK | £24,000 | £1,248,000£1.2m |
| 22 | Moussa Sissoko | Panathinaikos AO | Superleague Greece | DM, AM RC | £24,000 | £1,248,000£1.2m |
| 23 | Ashley Barnes | Burnley | Championship | AM/F C | £23,000 | £1,196,000£1.2m |
| 24 | Aaron Cresswell | Stoke City | Championship | D LC | £23,000 | £1,196,000£1.2m |
| 25 | Barry Bannan | Sheffield Wednesday | League One | DM | £23,000 | £1,196,000£1.2m |
The median 35-year-old, league by league
2026/27, in every league holding 5 or more priced 35-year-olds
The Championship pays its 35-year-olds the most, a median of £23,000 a week across 5 players. The National League pays the least of the 19, at £745.
The women's game at 35
2026/27, in every women's league holding 5 or more priced 35-year-olds. Across men's football the median at 35 is £3,550 a week.
| LEAGUE | PLAYERS | MEDIAN | BEST PAID | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liga F | 5 | £455 | Marta Torrejón | £1,900 |
The highest wages ever paid at 35
Every season since 2016/17, each player's best year at 35
| # | PLAYER | CLUB | SEASON | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karim Benzema | Al-Ittihad Club (KSA) | 2023/24 | £3,000,000 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | 2020/21 | £1,000,000 |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Paris Saint-Germain | 2022/23 | £670,000 |
| 4 | Manuel Neuer | FC Bayern München | 2021/22 | £296,000 |
| 5 | Luka Modric | Real Madrid | 2021/22 | £275,000 |
| 6 | Sergio Ramos | Paris Saint-Germain | 2021/22 | £223,000 |
| 7 | Franck Ribéry | FC Bayern München | 2018/19 | £206,000 |
| 8 | Leonardo Bonucci | Juventus | 2022/23 | £200,000 |
| 9 | Keylor Navas | Nottingham Forest | 2022/23 | £198,000 |
| 10 | Ivan Rakitić | Al-Shabab Football Club | 2023/24 | £197,000 |
| 11 | Fernandinho | Manchester City | 2020/21 | £180,000 |
| 12 | Fernandinho | Manchester City | 2020/21 | £180,000 |
| 13 | Nacho | Al-Qadsiah Football Club | 2026/27 | £166,000 |
| 14 | Jamie Vardy | Leicester City | 2022/23 | £160,000 |
| 15 | Edin Džeko | Inter Milan | 2021/22 | £152,000 |
| 16 | James Milner | Liverpool | 2021/22 | £150,000 |
| 17 | Daniel Alves (Daniel Alves da Silva) | Paris Saint-Germain | 2018/19 | £145,000 |
| 18 | Idrissa Gueye | Everton | 2024/25 | £130,000 |
| 19 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Manchester United | 2017/18 | £125,000 |
| 20 | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham Hotspur | 2022/23 | £120,000 |
The best-paid 35-year-old, season by season
The top wage at 35 in each season we hold, 2016/17 to 2026/27
| SEASON | PLAYER | CLUB | WEEKLY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | Nacho | Al-Qadsiah Football Club | £166,000 |
| 2024/25 | Idrissa Gueye | Everton | £130,000 |
| 2023/24 | Karim Benzema | Al-Ittihad Club (KSA) | £3,000,000 |
| 2022/23 | Lionel Messi | Paris Saint-Germain | £670,000 |
| 2021/22 | Manuel Neuer | FC Bayern München | £296,000 |
| 2020/21 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | £1,000,000 |
| 2019/20 | Samir Handanovič | Inter Milan | £104,000 |
| 2018/19 | Franck Ribéry | FC Bayern München | £206,000 |
| 2017/18 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Manchester United | £125,000 |
| 2016/17 | Iker Casillas | Futebol Clube do Porto | £85,000 |
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 35-year-old footballer earn a week?
The median is £3,550 a week in 2026/27, across the 212 35-year-olds we hold a wage for in men's football. A quarter of them are paid more than £8,000 a week and a tenth more than £24,000.
Who is the highest-paid 35-year-old footballer?
Nacho at Al-Qadsiah Football Club, on £166,000 a week, which is £8,632,000 a year. Kyle Walker at Burnley is next on £100,000 a week.
What is the most a 35-year-old footballer has been paid?
Karim Benzema, on £3,000,000 a week at Al-Ittihad Club (KSA) in 2023/24, the highest wage at 35 in any season since 2016/17. Cristiano Ronaldo is second, on £1,000,000 at Juventus in 2020/21.
How many 35-year-old footballers are paid £10,000 a week?
42 of the 212, which is 20%. At 36 it is 29 of 153.
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 35 the median is £3,550.
Where to next
The same wages, a year either side and league by league
At 34, the median is £3,900 a week. At 36, it is £4,100. See how pay rises and falls across a career , or Championship wages by age .