Ligue 1 is the top national football league in France, home to several leading clubs in Europe. Among them, Paris Saint-Germain - the reigning champions - stands out prominently. With its financial might, PSG easily dominates Ligue 1 and is also known for paying some of the highest salaries to its players. Notable names who have worn PSG's jersey include Mbappe and Hakimi. In this article, let's take a look at the Top 10 Highest paid Ligue 1 players in history, as compiled by Wintips admin.
Top 10 Highest paid Ligue 1 players in history
1/ Kylian Mbappé (€1,384,615) - Highest paid Ligue 1 players
The French football player mentioned is Kylian Mbappé. He currently plays as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in Ligue 1 and is also the captain of the French national team. Mbappé is one of the most sought-after and highest-paid players in the world.
He is known for leading PSG in scoring and creating numerous goals in the league. Mbappé is valued at €180 million and earns a weekly wage of €1,384,615. His contract with PSG is set to expire in 2024. In a recent interview, Mbappé revealed that he will announce his future plans before EURO 2024 begins.
Having previously declared his intention to leave PSG, it is almost certain that the 25-year-old French forward will be playing for a new club next season. Many speculate that Real Madrid will be the next destination in his career. Real Madrid's president, Florentino Perez, has reportedly planned a grand introduction for Mbappé. Perez aims for the French forward to be unveiled during the celebration of Real Madrid's 36th La Liga title.
2/ Ousmane Dembele (€384,615)
Despite the ups and downs at Barcelona, PSG still made a reasonable decision by activating the €50 million release clause in Ousmane Dembele's contract. After about two years of struggles due to injuries, the French player has made significant progress under Xavi's management.
In fact, Dembele was one of the most outstanding wingers in La Liga before moving to PSG. In his last two seasons at Camp Nou, Dembele scored 10 goals and provided 22 assists. His chemistry with Robert Lewandowski in the attack contributed to Barcelona winning La Liga last season. After a long period, Dembele has learned to make the right decisions, or at least minimize the complexity in his playing style. Barcelona had moments when they struggled in his absence on the wing.
3/ Lucas Hernandez (€365,385)
Bayern Munich sold their most expensive star in history, Lucas Hernandez, to Paris Saint-Germain at a loss. With only one year left on his contract and no willingness to extend, the 2018 World Cup champion decided to leave Allianz Arena to seek new experiences in the "City of Lights."
With PSG, the dream defensive trio has been formed with Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez joining the Princes' Park. These two outstanding newcomers will stand alongside captain Marquinhos in the three-man defense scheme in front of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Additionally, the French international can also play as a left-back besides being a center-back, which has been his role for Les Bleus for a long time.
4/ Marquinhos (€323,077) - Highest paid Ligue 1 players
Unlike "legends" like Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, or high-priced stars like Neymar, Mbappe, Messi, center-back Marquinhos is the true icon of PSG. The Brazilian star arrived in Paris at the age of 18 and has been bound to the club more by emotion than money.
Marquinhos has never been shy to express that sentiment in front of the cameras and has never blurred about his future, despite interest from traditional giants across Europe, from Barcelona, Real Madrid to Manchester United or Bayern Munich. That's what makes Marquinhos special. He didn't come to PSG as a well-established star but merely as a promising young talent. Before that, Marquinhos had only one season in Europe, wearing the shirt of the relatively less famous Roma.
5/ Milan Skriniar (€314,615) - Highest paid Ligue 1 players
Slovakian national team captain Milan Skriniar has become one of PSG's first signings in the summer of 2023/24. Skriniar joined PSG on a free transfer after the French champions turned down Inter Milan's €70 million offer a year ago. The 28-year-old defender arrived at the Parisian club just one day after former Spanish national team and Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was appointed.
He is the latest manager tasked with helping PSG aim for the Champions League title, a goal set by the Qatari owners since they acquired the club in 2011. Skriniar's defensive abilities are highly anticipated to strengthen PSG's defense, which conceded 40 goals on their way to winning the 11th Ligue 1 title last season. It was the worst defensive record for the French champions since Lyon conceded 41 goals in 2003.
6/ Marco Asensio (€279,808)
PSG couldn't extend Messi's contract as the Argentine player was determined to leave. Therefore, the French club had to urgently find a replacement for Messi to prepare for the new season. In the announcement that followed, PSG confirmed the successful signing of Marco Asensio.
The Spanish player will join the French club with a contract until the summer of 2026. Marco Asensio is a versatile player who can play as a winger on the left or right side or in the number 10 role. He spent 7 years at Real Madrid, winning 3 La Liga titles, 3 UEFA Champions League trophies, and several other prestigious honors.
7/ Achraf Hakimi (€279,808) - Highest paid Ligue 1 players
Each month, Achraf Hakimi receives about one million USD in salary from PSG, but he only keeps 20%. The remaining portion, estimated at around 215,000 USD per week, is transferred to his mother's account, according to Marca. The newspaper also reports that the Moroccan defender hides his name from asset ownership. Hakimi's wife is unaware that his mother is behind the transactions involving car purchases, jewelry, and clothing for her son.
Details of Hakimi's assets were revealed amidst rumors of his wife, Hiba Abouk, seeking divorce and asset division. He ranks as the sixth highest-paid African footballer in the world. With three years left on his contract with PSG, Hakimi's assets are predicted to continue growing.
8/ Randal Kolo Muani (€244,808) - Highest paid Ligue 1 players
Randal Kolo Muani arrived at PSG from Frankfurt last summer for a transfer fee of up to 90 million euros. The 25-year-old striker has made 22 appearances so far, scoring 8 goals and providing 3 assists. However, there has been controversy over Kolo Muani's impact as he has not yet shown the same level of influence as Kylian Mbappe whenever given the "pioneer's role".
Both stars of Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team, Randal Kolo Muani will need much more time to reach the stature of Kylian Mbappe. Nevertheless, the greater the responsibility, the more fans believe in the shining potential of this French player.
9/ Gianluigi Donnarumma (€244,808)
PSG also confirmed the signing of a five-year contract with the 22-year-old goalkeeper. Details of the salary have not been disclosed by the Ligue 1 runners-up, but according to European media, Donnarumma is paid $14 million (about 12 million euros) per year, not including bonuses based on his contributions and the club's achievements.
$14 million per year is also the salary demanded by Donnarumma and his agent Mino Raiola, but it was not accepted when Milan offered a new contract. As a result, he chose to leave as a free agent, ending six years as AC Milan's number one goalkeeper. The Italian club immediately spent $21 million to buy Mike Maignan - the 25-year-old French goalkeeper who had just won Ligue 1 with Lille - as a replacement.
10/ Keylor Navas (€209,808)) - Highest paid Ligue 1 players
Keylor Navas's contract with Paris Saint-Germain is valid until the summer of 2024. However, the veteran Costa Rican goalkeeper may not be considering a return to his parent club when the season ends. With the addition of a series of top superstars in the world, PSG's salary bill has also skyrocketed.
According to L'Equipe magazine, among the top 20 highest-paid players in the French Ligue 1, positions 1 through 18 belong to PSG players. This demonstrates just how staggering PSG's financial power is and how it completely surpasses the rest of Ligue 1.
Conclude
The tremendous financial gap in recent years has been clearly demonstrated through statistics from L'Équipe. Journalist Loic Tanzi suggests that this situation will continue as the Ligue 1 brand is currently "lagging behind" compared to top leagues in Europe such as the Premier League or La Liga. It's evident that most of the names mentioned above need a higher level competition. In that case, their salaries, bonuses, and perks will increase significantly. Thank you for your interest in this content. Visit the Wintips bookmaker ranking website to update more interesting sports news.
See also: Top 10 Arsenal highest paid player for the 2023/24 season
