Mbappe tops the list of the highest paid players in Ligue 1

Kylian Mbappe with a gross salary of 6 million euros a month is once again the highest paid player in France, more than five times higher than the following players, Ousmane Dembele, Marquinhos, Lucas Hernandez and Milan Skriniar, all of whom also play for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

In the list of player salaries in the Ligue 1, which 'L'Equipe' published on Thursday for the eighth year in a row, the 10 highest paid players are from PSG, who are well ahead of the other clubs, with an average salary of 937,500 euros per month. Behind them are Olympique Marseille, with an average of 261,000 euros, Olympique Lyon with 180,000 euros and Monaco with 155,000 euros.

Mbappe, Dembele, Marquinhos, Hernandez and Skriniar are the only players above the €1 million mark, followed by Donnarumma (€849,500), Asensio (€831,000), Kolo Muani (€750,000), Hakimi (€738,600) and Mukiele (€700,000).

At the top of the list who do not wear PSG colours, in eleventh and twelfth position, are Marseille's Aubameyang (650,000) and Monaco's Ben Yedder (650,000).

In the end, among the 30 French players with the highest salaries, 18 are from the capital club, six from Lyon, five from Marseille and only one from Monaco. Despite all this, PSG's wage bill is decreasing and will continue to do so.

 

March 20, 2024

Commercial club financial data analysis platform 'Football Benchmark' had already calculated that from €729m in the 2021-22 season it dropped to €633.7m in the following season, when it was the second highest in Europe, second only to Barcelona.

'Football Benchmark' anticipates in its latest report that "further improvements are expected in 2023-2024 following the departure of key but expensive players such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Neymar and Marco Verratti", and the trend should continue next season with the end of the 'Mbappe era', who himself receives €72m a year without bonuses.

From these gross salaries, which do not include bonuses, contributions have to be deducted, which for the best paid footballers amount to around 11%. From the actual remuneration they receive, the players have to pay taxes, which in France for the highest paid players can amount to 45%, to which they have to add an exceptional contribution of 4%.

This means that a footballer with a gross salary of one million euros, after contributions and taxes, would be left with 450,000 euros, although if he has come to France from abroad, he can deduct 30% of the net remuneration, which is exempt from French taxation. 

 

March 20, 2024