There’s a lot of questions being asked on the amount players make.
And to be honest I can understand exactly why.
As your top soccer players make bag loads of money.
Not just on an annual basis but weekly.
Now when it comes to how much a player gets, it often does depend on numerous factors.
For instance, if a club has lots of money, the players are likely to get paid a lot.
If someone is simply just really desired, then again their wages are going to be high.
However what about positions, do they have any bearings on the payouts?
Does playing a certain soccer position guarantee players more money than others?
In this post, I will explain whether playing a certain position makes more money than others.
Table of Contents
Which Position In Soccer Makes The Most Money?
Attacking players make the most money generally in the sport, due to a number of reasons.
They are normally one of the main players of the team, being talked about a lot.
Responsible for scoring and creating goals, they are a pivotal role in the success of a club both on and off the field.
So due to them being the focal point of most teams, they will be towards the top of the salary charts.
A good example would be PSG who has one of the best squads in football.
Despite having world-class players across the field, it is the strikers who are the highest paid in the club.
You have Messi the highest paid at €35 million, followed by Neymar at €30 million and Mbappe at €18 million.
They also have Angel Di Maria who even though is the 4th best striker in the team, makes more than the team’s best defender Sergio Ramos.
With the Di-Maria on €13 million 4th on the list and Ramos on €12 million coming in at 5th.
This gives you a bit of an idea on the difference between strikers and other paid positions when it comes to salaries.
As if you even look at how much the most expensive players make in the world.
Only 1 of the top ten most paid players is in a position that isn’t an attacking role.
Now you may be wondering why exactly can a player like Messi as I alluded to above, make so much more than others.
As good as he is, he is making 3 times the amount of what is considered one of the best center-backs right now in Ramos.
So in the next section, I will explain why strikers tend to get paid more.
Why Do Attacking Players Get Paid More Than Other Positions?
Now there are a number of reasons why strikers are typically the highest-paid position.
While footballing ability certainly comes into place, there are other reasons that put attacking players on a different level from other members of a squad.
A Reliable Striker To Put The Ball In The Net
Clubs at the top level, to maintain their dominance need players who can both create goals aswell put the ball in the net.
While it is of course a team game, where everyone needs to play their part.
If a team can’t score, then quite obviously they won’t win games.
So someone who is top of his game and can do this on a consistent level will make the most money compare to other positions on the pitch.
Its quite similar to the NFL in many ways, in which the top paid players in that sport are dominated by QB’s.
As these are the focal point of the team, who is relied on to create touchdowns for their team.
Brings In Money For The Clubs
Players like Messi and Ronaldo are some of the best players of this generation.
As a result, lots of people love to see them play, look up to them and also pay money to have their name on the shirts.
So as a result clubs will pay strikers a lot of money because they are the main players of the club.
While the center back for example could be the best player on the team.
Fans want to see their team score goals, so, therefore there is more eyes on whats happening in the attacking side then the defending side.
So football clubs know that investing in great attacking players, will not only help them win matches.
But gain the interest of fans of the game, who want to watch these players live.
All of which helps the clubs to make more money.
The Highest Paid Players In Each Position
Now while we have established your elite goalscorer and creative spark, will rack in the most money.
Its not uncommon for players in other parts of the pitch, to still get paid well.
To give you an idea of how much each position gets paid, I am going to go through each of them.
I will show you the top 10 paid for that position, the average wage, and how much clubs value that position when it comes to wages.
6. Full Backs
Full Back is one of the lowest-paid positions on the pitch, this is down to the fact that its easy to play and unlike attacking players people don’t go specifically to watch them.
There are still high-paid full backs in the game, where those who are especially good at keeping opposing wingers quiet and being good going forward get paid well.
However, generally, you will find most full backs at the professional level are earning anywhere between £10,000 and £100,00.
As a result, you will rarely see a full back being paid the highest amount at a club since they don’t typically make the number of strikers and midfielders.
5. Goalkeepers
Earlier I spoke about how only one player in the top 10 paid players is not an attacking player.
Well, this player is goalkeeper David De Gea who while comes in at 10th, signed a bumper contract with Manchester United a few years ago.
The top keepers will make a lot of money, as they are important when it comes to stopping from the ball going in the net.
David De Gea a few years ago was given a contract where he would receive £375,000 a week, due to him being valued as one of the best keepers in the world.
While a good striker will score goals, a keeper of great quality is worth its weight in gold, as keeping clean sheets wins titles.
4. Centre Backs
Sitting just in front of the backline, center backs are crucial members of a football team.
They help to keep everything organized with everybody in front of them and quite crucially are there to help stop the ball from going into the net.
As a result, center-backs do earn quite a lot of money, more generally than full-backs as I spoke about above.
While the top full-backs are making around £100,000 a week, there are a number of center backs that are into the two hundred thousand.
So if you were interested in playing as a defender, but also want to know where the money is.
Then you will find that it is in the center of the defense.
3. Defensive Midfielders
A lot of football matches are won in the midfield.
If a team can’t win the midfield battle, then quite simply they are prone to losing.
Now as a result defensive midfielders are paid very well, especially the really good ones.
As a really good ball winner or deep-lying playmaker can help a team to win titles.
Due to this, you will find players in this position to typically be on the same amount as a central defender.
With some players getting well into the £200,000’s on a weekly basis.
2. Attacking Midfielders
As you go further up the field towards the attacking players, is where the money is.
Once you get to your attacking midfielders, a lot of them are making a shed load of money.
Some even on the same level as strikers.
The reason for this is simple, people love to watch them play along with the fact they play such an important role in a game.
You have your De-Bruynes, Bruno Fernandes and Neymars who are remarkable talents.
Players who are able to create out of nothing, and are a joy to watch in the majority of games.
They therefore sell a lot of merchandise and tickets for a club, aswell as being followed on social media by millions.
As a result there contracts reflect this, with some players making double the amounts of defenders and goalkeepers.
For instance Neymar brings in £606,000 a week, while midfield maestro Kevin De-Bruyne has a current contract of £400,000.
Aside from your top attacking midfielders, there are plenty making at least £100,000 and a good amount in the £200,000 a week bracket.
1. Strikers
I think its safe to say this is the soccer position that makes the most money.
In fact the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are all on the forbes list of highest paid athletes.
These guys are exceptions to some extent as they are two of the best players to ever grace a football pitch.
However generally speaking strikers are paid very comfortably among professional football clubs.
Its common for most to them to be paid at least £100,000+, which is much higher then other positions.
As in leagues like the premier league there are a number of top players playing else where on the field earning far less.
These players like midfielders sell out a lot of merchandise and fans love to watch them score goals.
Along with this, strikers are the ones who will always be in the headlines for scoring and the most talked about.
So when you put all these factors together, you can understand why they are paid so generously.
Conclusion
I hope this gives you a good guide of why certain positions like striker and attacking midfielder tend to earn the most in soccer.
While age and how important a player is to a club, will play a role in what a person earns.
Typically speaking the further up the pitch the higher they get paid, which is due to the reasons I spoke about in this post.
What are your thoughts on this? Have any questions for me on this topic?
Do let me know down below 🙂
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