Top five salaries in Premier League and La Liga compared with Erling Haaland only third

Erling Haaland may earn the most money in the Premier League but two La Liga stars are on more lucrative contracts

For all of the talk around the Premier League being financially superior to any other league, it is actually La Liga that comes out on top with the highest-paid players. Astonishingly, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland - the Premier League’s top earner on £2.3million per month - sits behind two La Liga players.

The attractiveness and global reach of the Premier League saw commercial revenues shoot up from the early 2000s onwards, leaving other European leagues in its dust. The takeover of clubs like Chelsea and City by foreign billionaire owners injected further wealth into the league, therefore attracting many of the best players on the planet.

However, while the average La Liga club is worth less than their Premier League counterparts and earn considerably less revenue, a new salary reveal by French publication L’Equipe has provided very interesting results. The outlet has examined the five best-paid players in both top-flight leagues, with La Liga’s top earners coming out on top against their Premier League counterparts.

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Haaland currently earns more than any other player in England, having signed a mammoth nine-and-a-half-year contract in 2025. Yet, his eye-watering salary still falls short of Real Madrid superstars Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe.

Vinicius Jr’s £2.33m-per-month salary is marginally better, while Frenchman Mbappe is on the same wages, making the pair the joint top earners across the two leagues. The Premier League’s second-highest earner, Mohamed Salah, who is set to leave Liverpool at the end of this season, earns considerably less than the trio with £1.75m a month.

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The remainder of the lists follow a similar pattern too. The third-highest earner in La Liga is Los Blancos defender David Alaba on £1.64m. Despite his repeated injuries in recent years, the 33-year-old earns more than Manchester United veteran Casemiro, who rakes in £1.53m per month.

Such a huge salary is part of the reason why United are letting him leave this summer. The joint-third best earner in the Premier League is Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk on the same salary, meaning he trails Alaba too despite widely being viewed as a superior defender.

The fourth highest-paid player in La Liga is Robert Lewandowski, who is the only Barcelona player currently in the top five, on £1.51m per month. The Pole has recently been offered a new contract by the Catalan side with a significant wage cut, given he is 37 years old.

Rounding off the Premier League’s fifth spot are Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Arsenal vice-captain Bukayo Saka, who both earn £1.3m monthly. Saka’s mammoth wages come after his recent five-year contract extension with the Gunners.

Yet, both talismanic playmakers earn less than La Liga’s fifth top earners - Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid and Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid - who rake in £1.46m a month. It seems, therefore, that the three biggest Spanish clubs are still capable of going toe-to-toe with their English counterparts when it comes to attracting players with lucrative pay packages, allowing them to compete in the Champions League.

Here is the full list of the top five earners across the two divisions according to L’Equipe:

La Liga

1=. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) - €2,670,000 (£2.33m)

1=. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) - €2,670,000 (£2.33m)

3. David Alaba (Real Madrid) - €1,880,000 (£1.64m)

4. Robert Lewandowski (FC Barcelona) - €1,730,000 (£1.51m)

5=. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) - €1,670,000 (£1.46m)

5=. Jan Oblak (Atlético de Madrid) - €1,670,000 (£1.46m)

Premier League

1. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - €2,630,000 (£2.3m)

2. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - €2,000,000 (£1.75m)

3=. Casemiro (Manchester United) - €1,750,000 (£1.53m)

3=. Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool) - €1,750,000 (£1.53m)

5=. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) - €1,500,000 (£1.3m)

5=. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) - €1,500,000 (£1.3m)

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