Arguably one of the most popular sporting events in the world, the UEFA Champions League offers the grandest prize in European club football. The tournament, with nearly 70 years of heritage, has seen almost every famous footballer participating in it. As such, there is one pertinent question in the minds of football fans from around the globe: who are the highest-paid players in the Champions League?
Being the premier club football competition in Europe, the Champions League features the best teams in the continent (and perhaps the world) every season. Clubs like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool FC, Manchester United, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Chelsea and several other giants of the sport have their names etched in the history of the competition (and, quite literally, on the trophy).
In 2023, Manchester City became the newest addition to the list of the winners of the UEFA Champions League as they lifted the coveted silverware after years of agony, defeating Inter Milan in the final. To date, Real Madrid remains the most successful team in the history of the competition, having won it a record 14 times.
Along with the behemoths of club football come some of the biggest players of their eras as well. Over the years, footballers such as Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Andrea Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Andreas Iniesta, Iker Casillas and others have strived to lay their hands on the shining trophy . Some have succeeded in lifting the crown, while the same honor has eluded the rest.
With another season of the UEFA Champions League heading towards its knockout stages, we look at the highest-paid players in this elite club competition. The list has been curated based on the players’ annual salaries.
The days of calling Kylian Mbappe a French prodigy are long gone. In the past few years, the talismanic forward has cemented his position as one of the biggest names in the world of football. A winner of the FIFA World Cup (in 2018), UEFA Nations League (in 2020-21), six Ligue 1 titles (in 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22, 2022- 23), FIFA World Cup Silver Ball and FIFA World Cup Golden Boot (both in 2022), and the prestigious Knight of the Legion of Honor (in 2018) — not many athletes can boast of such an illustrious career. And all this in his early twenties!
In the summer transfer window of 2023-24, Mbappe generated quite the buzz about his potential move away from Paris. Several clubs were interested in signing the youngster — Real Madrid was primed to be the Frenchman’s next destination. There were also reports of the 2018 World Cup winner heading to the Middle East, with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal offering him a contract worth a ridiculous sum of USD 775 million (including commercial arrangements and image rights) per year.
With his contract with Paris Saint-Germain running out at the end of the 2023-24 season, Mbappe has not yet agreed to extend his stay at the French club, leading to speculations about his transfer. As of 2023, the French youngster earns over USD 100 million annually, making him the highest-paid player in the UEFA Champions League.