The 10 highest paid players in La Liga, featuring Jude Bellingham and three Barcelona stars

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 and they pay manager Diego Simeone around €30million-per-year. 

Using data from Capology, we’ve taken a look at the 10 La Liga players with the highest weekly wage.

Note: All figures mentioned are before tax and do not include the array of bonuses that are included in the fine print of every contract.

10. Koke – €307,692

A product of Atletico Madrid’s academy, Koke made his senior debut in 2009 and has since made over 550 appearances in all competitions.

Despite being linked with Barcelona and a host of Premier League clubs, he put pen to paper on a new long-term contract in the summer of 2017 and became one of the highest-paid players in La Liga.

That contract is due to expire at the end of the 2023/24 season, but the 31-year-old has no desire to leave his boyhood club.

“I’ve always said that I want to finish my career at Atletico,” Koke told El Larguero. “I will listen to the club (regarding contract talks), but my idea has always been to finish here.”

According to Marca, Atletico want the midfielder to sign a new deal on reduced terms as they look to reduce their wage bill.

9. Ilkay Gundogan – €360,577

After helping Manchester City win a historic treble in 2022/23, Gundogan decided to join Barcelona on a free transfer in the summer.

The Germany international signed an initial two-year contract and got a significant wage increase, going from €162,075-per-week at the Etihad to €360,577-per-week at Camp Nou.

“City waited a relatively long time until the talks really intensified,” he told Bild. “If this had happened a little earlier, the situation would have been different.

“So in the end it was the perfect ending, it couldn’t have come at a better time. It was also my childhood dream to play for FC Barcelona.”

8= Jan Oblak – €400,577

Since joining Atletico Madrid from Benfica in a €16million deal in 2014, Oblak has developed into one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

He played a key role in their title triumph in 2020/21, winning the La Liga Zamora Trophy and the La Liga Player of the Season award.

The Slovenia international earns a reported €400,577 and is the second-highest-paid goalkeeper in Europe after Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer.

He recently extended his Atletico Madrid contract to the summer of 2028, although his latest deal did not involve a pay increase.

8= Robert Lewandowski – €400,577

Lewandowski spent eight years at Bayern Munich, where he scored 344 goals in 375 appearances and won countless trophies.

The striker decided to pursue a new challenge in the summer of 2022 and joined Barcelona in a deal that could reach €50million.

He took a slight pay cut in order to secure the move, going from €442,308-per-week at the Allianz Arena to €400,577-per-week at Camp Nou.

The 35-year-old received a La Liga winners’ medal and the Pichichi Trophy in 2022/23 after scoring 23 goals in 34 league appearances.

Barcelona are running riot! 🔥🔥

Brilliant run and assist from Dembélé, but what about that turn and finish from Robert Lewandowski 😍 pic.twitter.com/lI3832DfYG

— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) October 23, 2022

8= Vinicius Junior – €400,577

After coming through the ranks at boyhood club Flamengo, Vinicius snubbed Barcelona and joined Real Madrid in a €45million deal in 2018.

The 23-year-old Brazil international has since established himself as one of the best players in the world, and he scored the winning goal in the 2022 Champions League final.

While his current contract is due to expire at the end of the season, terms over a new deal were reportedly agreed in principle in the summer and he could become the highest-paid player at the Bernabeu.

8= Jude Bellingham – €400,577

Real Madrid won the race for Bellingham’s signature in the summer 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 reported €400,577-per-week.

The 20-year-old midfielder, who is valued at €120million, is already starting to justify those wages, registering 10 goals and two assists in his first 10 appearances.

JUDE BELLINGHAM TAKE A BOW! 👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/48waXBD1E8

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 3, 2023

4. Luka Modric – €420,769

Modric joined Real Madrid in 2012 and has enjoyed a trophy-laden career in the Spanish capital, winning three La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues.

After receiving the Ballon d’Or award in 2018, the Croatia international got a substantial pay rise and his wages went up to €420,769-a-week.

But that pales in comparison to the €66.6million-a-year wage that Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal were willing to offer him in the summer.

Unlike former team-mate Karim Benzema, the 38-year-old snubbed a move to Saudi Arabia and signed a one-year contract extension at the Bernabeu.

3. David Alaba – €432,692

Alaba left Bayern Munich on a free transfer in 2021 after turning down multiple offers to extend his contract, including a €15million-a-year deal.

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 31-year-old has made a brilliant start to his Madrid career, helping them win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de Espana, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA World Club Cup.

2. Toni Kroos – €468,846

After Eden Hazard’s contract was terminated by mutual consent in the summer, Kroos took his place as the highest-paid player at Real Madrid.

But the 33-year-old midfielder has not been a regular starter this season, with Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham above him in the pecking order.

His €468,846-per-week contract is due to expire at the end of the 2023/24 season, and he has been linked with a move to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

1. Frenkie de Jong – €721,154

De Jong earns an eye-watering €721,154-per-week at Barcelona, making him the highest-paid player in La Liga by a serious distance.

The Netherlands international, who rejected a move to Manchester United in 2022, has looked to set the record straight on the controversy surrounding his salary packet.

“There have been many lies and falsehoods spread about my salary,” he told TV NOS in October 2022.

“In each of the first three years I played here, I cut my salary. Eventually, the money comes back, and it comes on top of my normal salary, so it looks bigger. I think a lot of people don’t understand this.”

READ MORE: Mbappe, Rabiot and the best players who are out of contract at the end of the 2023-24 season