Highest-Paid Defenders in Football
Kalidou Koulibaly is the highest-paid defender tracked on Retained List, earning £410,000 per week at Al-Hilal. The full list of 200 tracked defenders, sorted by weekly wage, is below.
Verified August 2026
| # | Player | Club | Age | Contract | Weekly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kalidou Koulibaly | Al-Hilal | 35 | June 2027 | £410,000 |
| 2 | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Real Madrid | 27 | June 2031 | £319,000 |
| 3 | Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich | 25 | June 2030 | £288,462 |
| 4 | Antonio Rüdiger | Real Madrid | 33 | June 2027 | £280,000 |
| 5 | Éder Militão | Real Madrid | 28 | June 2028 | £280,000 |
| 6 | Achraf Hakimi | Paris Saint-Germain | 27 | June 2029 | £260,000 |
| 7 | João Cancelo | Al-Hilal | 32 | June 2027 | £250,000 |
| 8 | Reece James | Chelsea | 26 | June 2028 | £250,000 |
| 9 | John Stones | Free Agent | 32 | June 2026 | £250,000 |
| 10 | William Saliba | Arsenal | 25 | June 2030 | £250,000 |
| 11 | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich | 27 | June 2030 | £240,385 |
| 12 | Virgil van dijk | Liverpool | 35 | June 2027 | £240,000 |
| 13 | Marquinhos | Paris Saint-Germain | 30 | June 2028 | £240,000 |
| 14 | Ronald Araújo | Liverpool | 27 | June 2031 | £230,769 |
| 15 | Gleison Bremer | Juventus | 29 | June 2029 | £230,769 |
| 16 | Kim Min-jae | Bayern Munich | 29 | June 2028 | £230,769 |
| 17 | Cristian Romero | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 | June 2029 | £200,000 |
| 18 | Wesley Fofana | Chelsea | 25 | June 2029 | £200,000 |
| 19 | Ferland Mendy | Real Madrid | 31 | June 2028 | £200,000 |
| 20 | Harry Maguire | Manchester United | 33 | June 2027 | £190,000 |
| 21 | Rúben Dias | Manchester City | 29 | August 2029 | £180,000 |
| 22 | Manuel Akanji | Free Agent | 31 | June 2027 | £180,000 |
| 23 | Marc Cucurella | Real Madrid | 28 | June 2028 | £175,000 |
| 24 | Fabian Ruiz | Paris Saint-Germain | 30 | June 2027 | £173,077 |
| 25 | Andreas Christensen | Barcelona | 30 | June 2028 | £173,077 |
| 26 | Nuno Mendes | Paris Saint-Germain | 24 | June 2029 | £173,077 |
| 27 | Dean Huijsen | Real Madrid | 22 | June 2030 | £173,000 |
| 28 | Lucas Digne | Aston Villa | 33 | June 2028 | £160,000 |
| 29 | Luke Shaw | Manchester United | 31 | June 2028 | £150,000 |
| 30 | Youri Tielemans | Manchester United | 29 | June 2031 | £144,444 |
| 31 | Josko Gvardiol | Manchester City | 24 | June 2031 | £130,000 |
| 32 | Victor Lindelof | Aston Villa | 32 | June 2027 | £120,000 |
| 33 | Ben White | Arsenal | 28 | June 2028 | £120,000 |
| 34 | Lisandro Martinez | Manchester United | 28 | June 2027 | £120,000 |
| 35 | Jarrad Branthwaite | Everton | 24 | June 2030 | £120,000 |
| 36 | Jorrel Hato | Chelsea | 20 | June 2032 | £120,000 |
| 37 | Federico Gatti | Juventus | 28 | June 2030 | £115,385 |
| 38 | Jeremie Frimpong | Liverpool | 25 | June 2029 | £100,000 |
| 39 | Jurriën Timber | Arsenal | 25 | June 2028 | £100,000 |
| 40 | Levi Colwill | Chelsea | 23 | June 2029 | £100,000 |
| 41 | Tyrone Mings | Aston Villa | 33 | June 2027 | £100,000 |
| 42 | Nathan Collins | Brentford | 25 | July 2028 | £96,296 |
| 43 | Joe Gomez | Liverpool | 29 | July 2027 | £95,000 |
| 44 | Aaron Wan-Bissaka | West Ham United | 28 | June 2031 | £90,000 |
| 45 | Riccardo Calafiori | Arsenal | 24 | June 2029 | £90,000 |
| 46 | Benoît Badiashile | Chelsea | 25 | June 2030 | £90,000 |
| 47 | James Tarkowski | Everton | 33 | June 2028 | £90,000 |
| 48 | Nathan Aké | Free Agent | 31 | June 2028 | £90,000 |
| 49 | Illya Zabarnyi | Paris Saint-Germain | 23 | June 2030 | £88,462 |
| 50 | Sven Botman | Newcastle | 26 | June 2027 | £88,000 |
| 51 | Antonee Robinson | Fulham | 29 | June 2028 | £85,000 |
| 52 | Pedro Porro | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 | June 2028 | £85,000 |
| 53 | Diogo Dalot | Manchester United | 27 | June 2028 | £85,000 |
| 54 | Jean-Clair Todibo | West Ham United | 26 | June 2029 | £80,000 |
| 55 | Ben Davies | Tottenham Hotspur | 33 | June 2026 | £80,000 |
| 56 | Fran Garcia | Real Madrid | 27 | June 2027 | £80,000 |
| 57 | Matty Cash | Aston Villa | 29 | June 2029 | £80,000 |
| 58 | Lewis Dunk | Brighton | 34 | June 2027 | £80,000 |
| 59 | Héctor Fort | Barcelona | 20 | June 2029 | £80,000 |
| 60 | Felipe | Free Agent | 37 | June 2024 | £77,000 |
| 61 | Max Kilman | West Ham United | 29 | June 2031 | £75,000 |
| 62 | Kyle Walker | Burnley | 36 | June 2027 | £75,000 |
| 63 | Destiny Udogie | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | June 2027 | £75,000 |
| 64 | Tosin Adarabioyo | Chelsea | 28 | June 2028 | £75,000 |
| 65 | Malick Thiaw | Newcastle | 25 | June 2029 | £75,000 |
| 66 | Pau Torres | Aston Villa | 29 | July 2028 | £73,077 |
| 67 | Lloyd Kelly | Free Agent | 27 | June 2029 | £73,000 |
| 68 | Ghislain Konan | Free Agent | 30 | August 2025 | £72,000 |
| 69 | Mason Holgate | Free Agent | 29 | June 2027 | £72,000 |
| 70 | Ibrahima Konate | Real Madrid | 27 | June 2030 | £71,000 |
| 71 | Kevin Mbabu | Free Agent | 31 | July 2025 | £70,001 |
| 72 | Timothy Castagne | Fulham | 30 | June 2027 | £70,000 |
| 73 | Tino Livramento | Newcastle | 23 | June 2028 | £70,000 |
| 74 | Cristhian Mosquera | Arsenal | 22 | June 2030 | £70,000 |
| 75 | Ian Maatsen | Aston Villa | 24 | June 2029 | £70,000 |
| 76 | Abdukodir Khusanov | Manchester City | 22 | June 2031 | £70,000 |
| 77 | Michael Keane | Everton | 33 | June 2027 | £69,000 |
| 78 | Nathaniel Clyne | Free Agent | 35 | June 2026 | £69,000 |
| 79 | Angelo Ogbonna | Free Agent | 38 | June 2024 | £68,000 |
| 80 | Ben Godfrey | Free Agent | 28 | June 2028 | £68,000 |
| 81 | Kostas Tsimikas | Liverpool | 30 | June 2028 | £65,000 |
| 82 | Calvin Bassey | Fulham | 26 | June 2028 | £65,000 |
| 83 | Brandon Williams | Free Agent | 25 | August 2026 | £65,000 |
| 84 | Ferdi Kadioglu | Brighton | 26 | June 2028 | £65,000 |
| 85 | Davinson Sánchez | Free Agent | 30 | June 2029 | £65,000 |
| 86 | Nayef Aguerd | Free Agent | 30 | June 2027 | £64,000 |
| 87 | Moussa Niakhaté | Free Agent | 30 | June 2025 | £64,000 |
| 88 | Lutsharel Geertruida | Free Agent | 26 | June 2029 | £60,000 |
| 89 | Daniel Muñoz | Crystal Palace | 30 | June 2028 | £60,000 |
| 90 | Jannik Vestergaard | Leicester City | 34 | June 2027 | £60,000 |
| 91 | Adrien Truffert | Bournemouth | 24 | June 2029 | £60,000 |
| 92 | Olivier Boscagli | Brighton | 28 | June 2030 | £60,000 |
| 93 | Maxence Lacroix | Chelsea | 26 | June 2032 | £60,000 |
| 94 | Vitalii Mykolenko | Everton | 27 | June 2029 | £58,000 |
| 95 | Jakub Kiwior | Free Agent | 26 | June 2028 | £58,000 |
| 96 | Issa Diop | Ipswich Town | 29 | June 2027 | £55,000 |
| 97 | Nikola Milenkovic | Nottingham Forest | 28 | June 2028 | £55,000 |
| 98 | Maxim De Cuyper | Brighton | 25 | June 2030 | £55,000 |
| 99 | Adam Webster | Free Agent | 31 | June 2026 | £55,000 |
| 100 | Aaron Cresswell | Free Agent | 36 | June 2024 | £53,000 |
| 101 | Vladimír Coufal | Free Agent | 34 | June 2024 | £52,000 |
| 102 | Dan Burn | Newcastle | 34 | June 2027 | £52,000 |
| 103 | Pervis Estupiñán | Brighton | 28 | July 2027 | £51,153 |
| 104 | Sèrge Aurier | Free Agent | 33 | June 2024 | £50,000 |
| 105 | Trevoh Chalobah | Crystal Palace | 27 | June 2028 | £50,000 |
| 106 | Joël Veltman | West Ham United | 34 | June 2026 | £50,000 |
| 107 | Calum Chambers | Free Agent | 31 | June 2027 | £50,000 |
| 108 | Patrick Dorgu | Manchester United | 21 | June 2030 | £50,000 |
| 109 | Conor Bradley | Liverpool | 23 | June 2028 | £50,000 |
| 110 | Sergio Gómez | Free Agent | 25 | June 2026 | £50,000 |
| 111 | James Tomkins | Free Agent | 37 | July 2024 | £50,000 |
| 112 | Gabriel Magalhães | Arsenal | 28 | June 2027 | £50,000 |
| 113 | Veljko Milosavljevic | Bournemouth | 25 | June 2029 | £50,000 |
| 114 | Willy Boly | Free Agent | 35 | June 2026 | £50,000 |
| 115 | Piero Hincapié | Arsenal | 24 | June 2031 | £50,000 |
| 116 | Jamal Lewis | Free Agent | 28 | December 2025 | £50,000 |
| 117 | Micky van de Ven | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | June 2029 | £50,000 |
| 118 | Neco Williams | Nottingham Forest | 25 | June 2029 | £50,000 |
| 119 | Reinildo | Sunderland | 32 | June 2027 | £50,000 |
| 120 | Kevin Danso | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 | June 2030 | £50,000 |
| 121 | Radu Drăgușin | Tottenham Hotspur | 24 | June 2028 | £50,000 |
| 122 | Jake O’Brien | Everton | 24 | June 2028 | £50,000 |
| 123 | Murillo | Nottingham Forest | 25 | June 2030 | £50,000 |
| 124 | Michael Kayode | Brentford | 22 | June 2030 | £49,000 |
| 125 | Fabian Schär | Newcastle | 34 | June 2027 | £47,000 |
| 126 | Nicolò Savona | Nottingham Forest | 23 | June 2030 | £45,000 |
| 127 | Jaka Bijol | Leeds United | 27 | June 2030 | £45,000 |
| 128 | Bafode Diakite | Bournemouth | 25 | June 2027 | £45,000 |
| 129 | Sebastiaan Bornauw | Leeds United | 27 | June 2029 | £45,000 |
| 130 | Malo Gusto | Chelsea | 23 | June 2030 | £45,000 |
| 131 | Caleb Wiley | Chelsea | 23 | August 2029 | £45,000 |
| 132 | Igor Julio | West Ham United | 28 | June 2027 | £45,000 |
| 133 | Ethan Ampadu | Leeds United | 25 | June 2028 | £45,000 |
| 134 | Kristoffer Ajer | Brentford | 28 | June 2028 | £45,000 |
| 135 | Craig Dawson | Free Agent | 36 | June 2025 | £45,000 |
| 136 | Mattia De Sciglio | Free Agent | 34 | July 2025 | £44,828 |
| 137 | Matt Ritchie | Free Agent | 36 | June 2026 | £44,000 |
| 138 | Marc Guéhi | Manchester City | 26 | June 2031 | £44,000 |
| 139 | Sam Johnstone | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 33 | June 2028 | £42,999 |
| 140 | Ezgjan Alioski | Free Agent | 34 | June 2027 | £42,000 |
| 141 | Ciaran Clark | Free Agent | 36 | June 2023 | £42,000 |
| 142 | Tariq Lamptey | Free Agent | 25 | July 2025 | £42,000 |
| 143 | Morato | Nottingham Forest | 25 | June 2030 | £40,000 |
| 144 | Emerson Royal | Free Agent | 27 | December 2028 | £40,000 |
| 145 | Milos Kerkez | Liverpool | 23 | June 2030 | £40,000 |
| 146 | Javier Manquillo | Free Agent | 32 | June 2024 | £40,000 |
| 147 | Julio Soler | Bournemouth | 22 | June 2029 | £40,000 |
| 148 | Ola Aina | Nottingham Forest | 29 | June 2028 | £40,000 |
| 149 | Costinha | Brighton | 26 | June 2031 | £40,000 |
| 150 | Nico O’Reilly | Manchester City | 21 | June 2029 | £40,000 |
| 151 | Pascal Struijk | Brighton | 27 | June 2028 | £40,000 |
| 152 | Giovanni Leoni | Liverpool | 20 | June 2029 | £40,000 |
| 153 | Paul Dummett | Free Agent | 34 | June 2024 | £39,000 |
| 154 | Aaron Hickey | Brentford | 24 | June 2028 | £38,000 |
| 155 | Mathias Jørgensen | Free Agent | 36 | July 2025 | £38,000 |
| 156 | Hjalmar Ekdal | Burnley | 27 | June 2027 | £37,000 |
| 157 | Tyrick Mitchell | Crystal Palace | 26 | June 2027 | £36,999 |
| 158 | Rayan Aït-Nouri | Manchester City | 25 | June 2030 | £36,000 |
| 159 | Jonny | Free Agent | 32 | June 2027 | £36,000 |
| 160 | Jorge Cuenca | Fulham | 27 | June 2028 | £35,000 |
| 161 | Ryan Giles | Hull City | 26 | June 2027 | £35,000 |
| 162 | Adam Smith | Bournemouth | 35 | June 2027 | £35,000 |
| 163 | Joel Ward | Free Agent | 36 | June 2024 | £35,000 |
| 164 | Sasa Kalajdzic | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 29 | June 2027 | £35,000 |
| 165 | Omar Alderete | Sunderland | 28 | June 2028 | £35,000 |
| 166 | Will Hughes | Crystal Palace | 31 | June 2027 | £35,000 |
| 167 | Rico Henry | Brentford | 29 | June 2027 | £35,000 |
| 168 | James Justin | Leeds United | 28 | June 2029 | £35,000 |
| 169 | Álex Moreno | Free Agent | 33 | June 2027 | £35,000 |
| 170 | Kyle Walker-Peters | West Ham United | 29 | June 2028 | £35,000 |
| 171 | Aaron Anselmino | Chelsea | 21 | August 2031 | £35,000 |
| 172 | Kenny Tete | Fulham | 30 | July 2028 | £35,000 |
| 173 | Álex Jiménez | Bournemouth | 21 | June 2031 | £35,000 |
| 174 | Jair Cunha | Nottingham Forest | 21 | June 2030 | £35,000 |
| 175 | Harry Souttar | Leicester City | 27 | June 2028 | £35,000 |
| 176 | Mamadou Sarr | Chelsea | 20 | June 2033 | £35,000 |
| 177 | Luca Netz | Nottingham Forest | 23 | June 2030 | £35,000 |
| 178 | Joe Rodon | Leeds United | 28 | June 2030 | £35,000 |
| 179 | Ben Johnson | Ipswich Town | 26 | June 2028 | £33,000 |
| 180 | Jesús Vallejo | Free Agent | 29 | June 2025 | £33,000 |
| 181 | Bouna Sarr | Free Agent | 34 | June 2024 | £31,220 |
| 182 | Josip Stanišić | Bayern Munich | 26 | June 2029 | £31,053 |
| 183 | Omar Richards | Free Agent | 28 | August 2026 | £30,000 |
| 184 | Gabriel Gudmundsson | Leeds United | 27 | June 2029 | £30,000 |
| 185 | Ashley Young | Free Agent | 41 | June 2026 | £30,000 |
| 186 | Ezri Konsa | Aston Villa | 28 | June 2028 | £30,000 |
| 187 | Luke Thomas | Leicester City | 25 | June 2029 | £30,000 |
| 188 | Chris Mepham | Free Agent | 28 | June 2028 | £30,000 |
| 189 | Nathan Ferguson | Free Agent | 25 | July 2024 | £29,000 |
| 190 | Nathan Patterson | Everton | 24 | June 2027 | £28,000 |
| 191 | Darnell Furlong | Ipswich Town | 30 | June 2028 | £27,500 |
| 192 | Charlie Taylor | Free Agent | 32 | June 2024 | £27,000 |
| 193 | Terence Kongolo | Free Agent | 32 | July 2024 | £27,000 |
| 194 | Tim Ream | Free Agent | 38 | July 2024 | £27,000 |
| 195 | Thiago Silva | Free Agent | 41 | June 2025 | £27,000 |
| 196 | Connor Roberts | Burnley | 30 | June 2027 | £26,000 |
| 197 | James Bree | Southampton | 29 | June 2029 | £25,000 |
| 198 | Adam Aznou | Everton | 20 | June 2029 | £25,000 |
| 199 | Jacob Greaves | Ipswich Town | 25 | June 2029 | £25,000 |
| 200 | Jordan Beyer | Burnley | 26 | June 2027 | £25,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the highest-paid defender in football?
Kalidou Koulibaly is the highest-paid defender on Retained List, earning £410,000 per week at Al-Hilal.
How many defenders are tracked on Retained List?
We currently track 200 senior defenders across the leagues we cover. The list rebuilds whenever any player profile is edited.
What is the average wage of a defender?
See the position pay gap page for average, median and 90th-percentile wages by position. Forwards earn the highest mean wage, goalkeepers the lowest.
Does this list include loaned-out defenders?
Yes, players are listed against the club that holds their contract. Loan destination clubs do not appear on a player's primary listing.
How are defenders ranked on this page?
Players are ranked by gross weekly basic wage, descending. Free agents and players without a published wage figure are excluded from the top of the table.