Man United duo feature as top five salaries in Premier League and La Liga compared

Two Manchester United players feature in the top five Premier League earners, though they still trail La Liga's top stars by some distance

Despite the perception of the Premier League being financially superior to every other league in world football, it is actually La Liga that comes out on top when it comes to the highest-paid players.

Two Manchester United stars, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, rank among the English top flight’s top-five best paid players. Manchester City's Erling Haaland is way out in front as the Premier League's top earner on £2.3million per month, though he still sits behind two La Liga players.

The Premier League's global appeal and commercial pulling power saw revenues soar from the early 2000s onwards, leaving rival European leagues trailing far behind. The takeover of clubs such as Chelsea and City by billionaire foreign owners pumped enormous sums into English football, in turn drawing some of the finest players in the world to its shores.

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Yet, while the average La Liga club is worth less than their Premier League counterparts and earn considerably less revenue, a new salary reveal by French publication L’Equipe has provided very interesting results. The outlet examined the five highest-earning players in both top-flight divisions, with La Liga's best earners ultimately edging out their Premier League counterparts.

Haaland currently earns more than any other player in England, having signed a mammoth nine-and-a-half-year contract in 2025. Yet, even his staggering wage packet falls short of what Real Madrid superstars Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are earning.

Vinicius Jr's £2.33m-per-month salary is marginally better, while Frenchman Mbappe is on identical wages, making the pair joint top earners across both leagues. The Premier League's second-highest earner, Mohamed Salah, who is set to leave Liverpool at the end of this season, earns considerably less than the trio at £1.75m a month.

The remainder of the rankings follow a similar pattern. La Liga's third-highest earner is Los Blancos defender David Alaba on £1.64m. Despite his persistent injury troubles in recent years, the 33-year-old earns higher wages than Manchester United veteran Casemiro, who pockets £1.53m per month.

Such an eye-watering salary is partly why United are allowing him to depart this summer. The joint-third highest earner in the Premier League is Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk on the same sum of money, meaning he falls short of Alaba's earnings despite being widely regarded as the superior defender.

The fourth best-paid player in La Liga is Robert Lewandowski, currently the only Barcelona representative in the top five, taking home £1.51m per month. The Polish striker was recently offered with a new contract offer by the Catalan club, though with a substantial reduction in wages given he is 37 years old.

Rounding out the Premier League's fifth spot are Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Arsenal vice-captain Bukayo Saka, both earning £1.3m monthly. Saka's substantial salary follows his recent five-year contract extension with the Gunners.

Nevertheless, both talismanic playmakers earn less than La Liga's fifth highest earners - Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid and Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid - who take home £1.46m per month. It would appear, then, that Spain's three biggest clubs remain perfectly capable of matching their English rivals when it comes to offering players attractive wage packages, enabling them to stay competitive in the Champions League.

Here is the full list of the top five earners across the two divisions according to L’Equipe:

La Liga

1=. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) - €2,670,000 (£2.33m)

1=. Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) - €2,670,000 (£2.33m)

3. David Alaba (Real Madrid) - €1,880,000 (£1.64m)

4. Robert Lewandowski (FC Barcelona) - €1,730,000 (£1.51m)

5=. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) - €1,670,000 (£1.46m)

5=. Jan Oblak (Atlético de Madrid) - €1,670,000 (£1.46m)

Premier League

1. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - €2,630,000 (£2.3m)

2. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - €2,000,000 (£1.75m)

3=. Casemiro (Manchester United) - €1,750,000 (£1.53m)

3=. Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool) - €1,750,000 (£1.53m)

5=. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) - €1,500,000 (£1.3m)

5=. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) - €1,500,000 (£1.3m)