While every team in La Liga is handed a salary cap, the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona are still able to offer lucrative contracts to players.
Atletico Madrid try and compete with the two juggernauts of Spanish football, although their annual wage bill is significantly smaller.
We’ve taken a look at the 10 highest-paid La Liga players, ranking them by their weekly wage before any add-ons are included.
Note, the values listed in pounds are conversions at the time of writing, rounded to the nearest thousand, and are subject to change.
10. Thibaut Courtois – €288,462 / £242,058
One of six Real Madrid players on this list, Courtois joined Los Blancos from Chelsea in the summer of 2018 and has played a key role in their success in recent years.
The Belgium international has won 13 major honours with the club, including three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues and a Copa del Rey.
He signed his last contract extension back in August 2021 and is currently earning €288,462-per-week, which equates to €15million-per-year.
But that deal is due to expire at the end of the 2025/26 season, and the goalkeeper has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League.
9. Lamine Yamal – €307,692 / £258,195
Since making his Barcelona debut in 2023 at the age of just 15 years old, Yamal has blossomed into one of the best players in the world.
The Spain international got a huge pay rise after winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey in 2024/25, going from €64,000-per-week to more than €300,000-per-week.
His new contract – which runs until the end of the 2030/31 season – also allows the 17-year-old to earn an additional €200,000-per-week in bonuses.
“The salary needs to match the importance of the player in the team, no matter the age he has,” Barcelona president Joan Laporta said. “He is a special case and needs special treatment.”
Lamine Yamal’s work of art. 🖼️#EspanyolBarça | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/V5hLumNckY
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 16, 2025
8. Federico Valverde – €320,577 / £269,026
Valverde broke into the Real Madrid first team in 2018/19 and has now become one of the club’s most dependable players, making over 300 appearances in all competitions.
The Uruguay international rejected a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 and signed a new long-term contract at the Bernabeu, which took his wages up to €320,577-per-week.
“It is really impossible for me to go to the Saudi League,” the Uruguay international said. “No chance. 10, 20 or 30million will not change my life.
“I’m at Real Madrid, the best club in the world. I love my life in Madrid, the same goes for my family and that’s it.”
7. Frenkie de Jong – €365,385 / £308,000
De Jong’s salary at Barcelona has been a significant topic of discussion in recent years, and he publicly denied reports that he earns €37million-per-year.
“Many things come out that are not true, it is irritating me,” the Netherlands international said.
“It’s a lot of smoke, a lot of lies, the truth is that it is far from what I earn. I won’t say figures, they have invented a story that is not true. I am very happy at Barca, it is the club of my dreams. I hope I can continue many years playing for Barca.”
The midfielder is actually estimated to be on a base salary of €19million-per-year and can earn an additional €6.2million-per-year with bonuses.
He is about the enter the final year of his contract but has reportedly told the club that he’s prepared to accept a pay cut and sign an extension on lower wages.
6= Jan Oblak – €400,577 / £336,362
Having joined Atletico Madrid in 2014, Oblak has just finished his 11th season at the club and has made over 350 appearances in La Liga.
He has a €400,577-per-week contract and is the highest-paid player at the club, earning €160,192-per-week more than Antoine Griezmann.
The 32-year-old Slovenia international is also the second-highest-paid goalkeeper in the world after Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer.
Jan Oblak of Atletico warms up during the Spanish championship La Liga football match between Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid on December 12, 2021 at Santiago Bernabeu stadium
Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid
6= Jude Bellingham – €400,577 / £336,362
Real Madrid won the race for Bellingham’s signature in the summer of 2023 after agreeing to pay Borussia Dortmund an initial €103million and another €30million in bonuses.
Alongside the transfer fee, Madrid also shelled out a significant pay packet as they are giving him a base salary of €400,577-per-week.
His contract also includes a number of performance-related bonuses and they could see that figure rise to €480,769-per-week.
The England international is the third-highest-paid midfielder in the world behind Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester United’s Casemiro.
6= Vinicius Junior – €400,577 / £336,362
After Bellingham’s arrival at Real Madrid, Vinicius signed a contract extension in October 2023 to earn parity with his teammate.
The Brazil international has recently been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League but now looks set to sign a new deal at the Bernabeu, which will give him another pay rise.
“I am very calm because my contract lasts until 2027 and I hope to renew my contract as soon as possible because I am happy here,” he said.
“I am living the dream of playing with the best players in the world, the best coach, the best president, the best fans. Here everybody loves me so much. I couldn’t be in a better place.”
3. David Alaba – €432,692 / £363,329
Alaba ended his 13-year association with Bayern Munich in 2021 and left the club on a free transfer after turning down multiple offers to extend his contract.
He attracted interest from Liverpool, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Juventus before signing a five-year contract at Real Madrid.
While Madrid didn’t have to pay a transfer fee, the defender didn’t come cheap as he reportedly received a €17.7million signing bonus and is now earning €432,692-a-week.
The Austria international is currently the third-highest-paid defender in the world after Kalidou Koulibaly and Aymeric Laporte, who both play in the Saudi Pro League.
2. Kylian Mbappe – €600,962 / £504,624
Mbappe completed his long-awaited move to Real Madrid after his Paris Saint-Germain contract expired at the end of the 2023/24 season.
The 26-year-old actually took a significant pay cut, going from €1.38million-per-week in Paris to €600,962-per-week in Madrid.
But he will reportedly receive a €150million signing-on bonus over the course of his five-year deal and the contract also includes an additional €1.24million-per-week in potential bonuses.
If the France international triggers all of the bonuses in his Madrid contract, he will earn a staggering €95.83million-per-year.
Mbappé composure 💯#UCL pic.twitter.com/psFjdsCtu6
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 24, 2025
1. Robert Lewandowski – €640,962 / £538,212
Lewandowski arrived at Barcelona from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 and received €400,577-per-week in his debut season in Spain.
His salary increased to €520,769-per-week in 2023/24 and is now at €640,962-per-week, which equates to €33.33million-per-year.
The Poland international is currently the highest-paid player in Europe’s top five leagues and the sixth-highest-paid player in the world.
But he has repaid Barcelona by scoring 101 goals in 147 appearances in all competitions, helping the club win two La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey.
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