Soccer continues to be the most popular sport worldwide and grabs attention wherever the top clubs play.
Midfielders hold immense value in the outcome of each match and clubs pay them high fees for their services. The highest-paid soccer midfielders command salaries over $20 million a year.
Two players are tied for first at $26.9 million a year. N’Golo Kanté of Al-Ittihad and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic of Al Hilal lead the way among midfielders.
Kanté signed with Al-Ittihad in 2023 after a career mostly in England’s Premier League. He was an integral part of an underdog Leicester City squad that made history by winning the Premier League in 2015-2016.
Milinkovic-Savic has been productive playing mainly in Italy before his move to Saudi Arabia. His 134 total goals and assists in his career is fourth-most among the top 10 highest-paid midfielders.
Third is Marcelo Brozovic of Al Nassr earning $26.1 million. The Croatian midfielder spent his entire career in Italy playing for Inter Milan before signing with the Saudi Arabian side in 2023.
Fourth on the list is Manchester United’s Casemiro. He signed a two-year, $47.2 million contract in 2022. The 32-year-old has earned over $94 million in his career mostly with Real Madrid.
Rounding out the top five is Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich. Kimmich earns $21 million, one of six midfielders earning over $20 million. He’s won nine trophies, including the 2020 Champions League.
The Saudi Pro League is the league paying the most for midfielders. Five of the top 10 highest-paid soccer midfielders play in Saudi Arabia.
Ranking The Highest-Paid Midfielders in Soccer
Here is the entire list of highest-paid soccer midfielders of 2024. The list was compiled with data from Capology.
- Updated: December 6, 2024
| Rank | Player | Team | Total Compensation |
| T-1 | N’Golo Kanté | Al-Ittihad | $26.9 million |
| T-1 | Sergej Milinkovic-Savic | Al Hilal | $26.9 million |
| 3 | Marcelo Brozovic | Al Nassr | $26.1 million |
| 4 | Casemiro | Manchester United | $23.6 million |
| 5 | Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich | $21 million |
| 7 | Frenkie De Jong | Barcelona | $20.5 million |
| 8 | Rúben Neves | Al Hilal | $18.6 million |
| 9 | Federico Valverde | Real Madrid | $17.96 million |
| 10 | Seko Fofana | Al-Ettifaq | $16.4 million |
| 11 | Declan Rice | Arsenal | $16.18 million |
| 12 | Georginio Wijnaldum | Al-Ettifaq | $16.16 million |
| 13 | İlkay Gündoğan | Manchester City | $15.5 million |
| T-14 | Fabinho | Al-Ittihad | $15.1 million |
| T-14 | Franck Kessié | Al-Ahli | $15.1 million |
| 16 | Rodri | Manchester City | $14.8 million |
| 17 | Leon Goretzka | Bayern Munich | $14 million |
| 18 | Thomas Partey | Arsenal | $13.5 million |
| T-19 | Aurélien Tchouaméni | Real Madrid | $13.47 million |
| T-19 | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid | $13.47 million |
| 21 | Nicolò Barella | Inter Milan | $12.97 million |
| 22 | Gabri Veiga | Al-Ahli | $12.93 million |
| 23 | Enzo Fernández | Chelsea | $12.1 million |
| 24 | Hakan Çalhanoğlu | Inter Milan | $11.97 million |
| T-25 | Luka Modric | Real Madrid | $11.2 million |
| T-25 | Dani Ceballos | Real Madrid | $11.2 million |
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