From Frenkie de Jong to Alvaro Morata and everyone in between, Boardroom breaks down the highest-paid players in La Liga.
La Liga is home to 20 of the best soccer clubs in Spain, and not coincidentally, it also boasts some of the world’s highest-paid players. It should be no surprise to fans that Real Madrid and Barcelona, the two clubs with the most La Liga championships, also have the most generous checkbooks.
Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong is the most expensive player in the league, commanding a $40 million yearly paycheck. His teammate Sergio Busquets follows up in the number two slot with $39 million.
Out of the highest-paid players in La Liga in terms of annual wages, Barcelona and Real Madrid account for 23 of the league’s top 28 highest-paid players. The club’s extravagant spending habits have also accounted for 61 championships out of the league’s 93 seasons. Karim Benzema, the league’s best striker and reigning Ballon d’Or winner, is only the fifth highest-paid player across La Liga. However, if he were a member of the Premier League, he’d be the highest-paid player in the entire league with the departure of Ronaldo to Al-Nassr.
So which non-Madrid or Barcelona player ranks the highest on the list? Furthermore, which young attackers on short-term deals, like Vinicius Junior or Ousmane Dembele, will look to topple de Jong as the highest-paid player in the league?
Let’s look at Boardroom’s all-inclusive list of the highest-paid La Liga players of the 2022-23 season.
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2022 Highest-Paid La Liga Players by Annual Wages
All wage figures are converted to the US dollar via Capology.
1. Barcelona CM Frenkie de Jong: $40,484,422
- Age: 25
- Contract: 4 years, $161,938,890
- Free agency: 2026
2. Barcelona DM Sergio Busquets: $39,944,926
- Age: 34
- Contract: 1 year, $39,944,926
- Free agency: 2023
3. Real Madrid LW Eden Hazard $33,737,269
- Age: 31
- Contract: 2 years, $67,474,538
- Free agency: 2024
4. Real Madrid CM Toni Kroos: $26,350,468
- Age: 32
- Contract: 1 year, $26,350,468
- Free agency: 2023
5. Real Madrid CF Karim Benzema: $25,910,222
- Age: 32
- Contract: 1 year, $26,350,468
- Free agency: 2023
Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive into Benzema’s contract details.
6. Real Madrid CB David Alaba: $24,290,834
- Age: 30
- Contract: 4 years, $97,163,334
- Free agency: 2026
7. Real Madrid CM Luka Modric: $23,621,486
- Age: 37
- Contract: 1 year, $23,621,486
- Free agency: 2023
Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive into Modric’s contract details.
t-8. Barcelona LB Jordi Alba: $22,571,855
- Age: 33
- Contract: 2 years, $44,972,828
- Free agency: 2024
t-8. Real Madrid LW Vinicius Junior: $22,571,855
- Age: 22
- Contract: 2 years, $44,975,828
- Free agency: 2023
Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive into Vincious’s contract details.
t-8. Atletico Madrid GK Jan Oblak: $22,571,855
- Age: 29
- Contract: 6 years, $134,927,483
- Free agency: 2028
t-8. Barcelona CF Robert Lewandowski: $22,571,855
- Age: 34
- Contract: 4 years, $89,951,655
- Free agency: 2026
Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Lewandowski’s transfer to Barcelona from Bayern Munich.
12. Atletico Madrid CM Koke: $17,337,958
- Age: 30
- Contract: 2 years, $34,675,917
- Free agency: 2024
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13. Real Madrid GK Thibaut Courtois: $16,254,336
- Age: 30
- Contract: 4 years, $65,017,344
- Free agency: 2026
14. Real Madrid CB Antonio Rudiger: $15,799,215
- Age: 29
- Contract: 2 years, $45,143,709
- Free agency: 2024
15. Barcelona LW Ansu Fati: $15,116,532
- Age: 20
- Contract: 5 years, $75,582, 662
- Free agency: 2027
16. Barcelona CB Jules Kounde: $14,683,084
- Age: 24
- Contract: 5 years, $73,415,418
- Free agency: 2027
Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Kounde’s transfer to Barcelona from Sevilla.
17. Sevilla CM Ivan Rakitic: $14,303,816
- Age: 34
- Contract: 2 years, $28,607,361
- Free agency: 2024
18. Atletico Madrid ST Antonie Griezmann: $13,545,280
- Age: 31
- Contract: 1 year, $13,545,280
- Free agency: 2023
Click here to read Boardroom’s Griezmann’s homecoming story to Atletico Madrid.
t-19. Real Madrid DM Aureilien Tchouameni: $13,545,280
- Age: 22
- Contract: 6 years, $81,271,680
- Free agency: 2028
Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive into Tchouameni’s contract details.
t-19. Barcelona RW Raphinha: $13,545,280
- Age: 26
- Contract: 5 years, $67,726,400
- Free agency: 2027
Click here to read Boardroom’s deep dive on Raphinha’s transfer to Barcelona from Leeds United.
t-21. Barcelona RW Ousmane Dembele: $13,003,469
- Age: 25
- Contract: 2 years, $26,006,938
- Free agency: 2024
t-21. Atletico Madrid CM Saul Niguez: $13,003,469
- Age: 28
- Contract: 4 years, $52,013,875
- Free agency: 2026
23. Villarreal CM Dani Parejo: $11,735,631
- Age: 33
- Contract: 2 years, $23,741,261
- Free agency: 2024
t-24. Real Madrid LB Ferland Mendy: $11,291,345
- Age: 27
- Contract: 3 years, $33,874,036
- Free agency: 2025
t-24. Real Madrid RB Daniel Carvajal: $11,291,345
- Age: 30
- Contract: 3 years, $33,874,036
- Free agency: 2025
26. Barcelona LW Ferran Torres: $10,836,224
- Age: 22
- Contract: 5 years, $54,181,120
- Free agency: 2027
27. Real Madrid RW Marco Asensio: $10,652,008
- Age: 26
- Contract: 1 year, $10,652,008
- Free agency: 2023
28. Atletico Madrid CF Alvaro Morata: $10,619,500
- Age: 30
- Contract: 2 years, $21,238,999
- Free agency: 2025
Other Notable La Liga Player Salaries
Barcelona DM Franck Kessie: $9,752,602
Atletico Madrid CF Memphis Depay: $9,481,696
Real Madrid CM Federico Valverde: $8,809,850
Villarreal CM Giovani Lo Celso: $4,562,050
Sevilla CM Thomas Delaney: $3,760,170
Highest-paid forward: Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)
Highest-paid midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
Highest-paid defender: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)
Highest-paid goalkeeper: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)
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