From the electric Kylian Mbappe to the dazzling Lamine Yamal, some of the very best players on the planet currently ply their trade in the Spanish top-flight. La Liga is home to incredibly talented superstars and even some of the front-runners for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

While there often appears to be more money floating about elsewhere, like in the Saudi Pro League and the Premier League, the top clubs in Spain aren’t shy about handing out lucrative contracts to attract and retain world-class talent either.

With Real Madrid and Barcelona players at the forefront of this list, there can be little surprise that the purse strings are often loosened as the biggest stars are tied down to extremely lucrative deals. With that in mind, below is a list of the 20 highest-paid players in La Liga right now.

10

Rodrygo–£273,800 p/w

When at his best, Rodrygo is among the best wingers in the world. He was just 18 when he turned up at Real Madrid, having established himself as the next big talent to emerge at Santos. Since then, the Brazilian has won three La Liga titles and the Champions League twice.

Although he might play second fiddle to the likes of Mbappe and Vinicius Junior (more on those two later), Rodrygo is still among the best-paid players in Spain, earning a hefty £273,800 p/w. Sadly, he suffered a torn ACL in March 2026 and might not play again until 2027.

9

Raphinha – £273,800 p/w

When he was just about saving Leeds United from relegation in 2022, few would have thought Raphinha was destined to prove himself as one of Barcelona’s most important players in the coming seasons. But that’s exactly what he has done in Spain.

The brilliant Brazilian can play across any of the front three attacking positions and works incredibly hard for the team, while still delivering moments of magic. This has seen him win three Spanish league titles, and he was even named La Liga Player of the Season in 2024/25. As such, it’s more than fair that he is so well-paid.

8

Federico Valverde – £273,800 p/w

In a team full of superstar midfielders, Federico Valverde has endeared himself to the Bernabeu faithful through his hard-working performances and his willingness to play anywhere asked of him. That’s not to suggest he lacks talent, far from it, as he’s now regarded as one of the best midfielders in the league.

The 28-year-old is well compensated for his efforts, too; walking away with close to £300,000 p/w. For a while, he was among the most underrated names in world football, but his club always recognised his value, and that’s well reflected by his handsome wages.

7

Nico Williams – £282,341 p/w

A rare non-Barcelona or Madrid star, Nico Williams has been rewarded for his loyalty to Athletic Bilbao. In 2025, amid strong links to the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal, he committed his future to the club, signing a mammoth 10-year contract worth £282,341 p/w.

For a player on such big wages, he doesn’t always deliver as many goals or assists as some would expect, but he’s still only 24 and could yet grow to become a little more consistent. Even so, when he’s on it, he’s amongst the best in the world. This was clear at Euro 2024, with Williams delivering a serious electric performance as Spain won the tournament.

6

Rodri – £329,300 p/w

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach via Action Images

After starring for Spain in their second World Cup triumph this summer, Rodri emerged as a target for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. He soon made a decision to join the Catalans and follow in the footsteps of one of his idols, Sergio Busquets.

Barca agreed on a £65 million deal with Manchester City to bring the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner to Camp Nou. According to SalaryLeaks, he has become the sixth highest-paid player in La Liga and the second-highest earner in Hansi Flick’s squad.

5

Jan Oblak – £342,127 p/w

Only the second player in the top 10 not to play for either Real Madrid or Barcelona. The Atletico Madrid icon had big shoes to fill when he was chosen to replace long-standing loanee Courtois in 2014. In the decade that followed, Jan Oblak showed himself to be one of the best number ones on the planet.

Interest in his services was commonplace. Despite that, Oblak stayed loyal to Diego Simeone and has been financially rewarded in return, now earning more than Courtois. Now 33, it will be interesting to see if Atletico offer him quite such a big salary when it comes time to renew in 2028.

4

Lamine Yamal – £342,127 p/w

Lamine Yamal has risen to be seen as one of the best players in world football and a strong contender to lift the 2026 Ballon d’Or at the age of just 19. The youngster has always been compared to Barcelona great Lionel Messi, but came out on top as Spain beat Argentina in the 2026 World Cup.

What’s more, Yamal is certainly being more handsomely rewarded than Messi was as a teenager, with the Spain international putting pen to paper on a new deal at the end of the 2024/25 season. He now rakes in £342,127 every week, a wage proportionate to his outstanding talent.

3

Jude Bellingham – £342,127 p/w

This figure is bound to increase in the years to come. In just three seasons in the Spanish capital, Jude Bellingham has established himself as arguably the most important player in Los Blancos’ superhero-like squad. The Englishman finished as the club’s top scorer in La Liga and was named the La Liga Player of the Season during his debut campaign in Spain.

Mbappe’s arrival meant that the 23-year-old fell a little out of the limelight, but his progress has also been hampered by a pesky shoulder injury which required surgery. Even so, the Englishman remains one of the best players on the planet, and proved that with his seven goals at the 2026 World Cup. Madrid will be relieved to have him tied down on a big wage until 2029.

2

Vinicius Jr – £513,273 p/w

In the case of Vinicius Jr, the Brazilian felt he deserved a much bigger contract, and he was finally convinced Real Madrid of that as well. After months of negotiations, and with Arsenal lurking in the background, Los Blancos upped their offer and the winger put pen to paper on a deal worth more than £500,000 p/w, according to Capology.

Vini is certainly one of the best players in the world currently and has scored in two Champions League finals, becoming one of Los Blancos’ most important attacking threats. With that in mind, it’s no surprise he wanted better terms, but he’s still not the best-paid footballer in the country.

1

Kylian Mbappe – £513,273 p/w

While Kylian Mbappe is purportedly earning the same as Vinicius per week, he is paid much more than his Madrid teammate in bonuses. He would have expected to be the highest-paid player in the Spanish top flight after finally securing his long-awaited move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Indeed, the French superstar is raking in more than half a million pounds each week, making him the highest-earning star in Spain.

The 27-year-old already has multiple French league titles and domestic cups to his name, as well as a World Cup triumph with his country. It was one of the biggest moves the modern game has seen as he swapped Paris for the famous white of Real Madrid. While goals have been no issue for Mbappe, trophies have been as he’s failed to win La Liga or the Champions League since. Even so, few would argue he’s overpaid.

All salaries in this article are courtesy of Capology (Correct as of 18/08/26).

Metropolitan Police have opened an investigation after a body was found at an EFL Championship stadium following the opening weekend of fixtures.

Police were called to Charlton Athletic‘s ground, The Valley, in the early hours of Tuesday morning after the body was discovered. Unfortunately, a 33-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, and his death is being treated as ‘unexpected’ as a probe is launched into the incident.

Charlton played their 2026-27 Championship opener on Saturday when they beat Derby County 2-1 at the same stadium. The club has confirmed that they are assisting the police with its inquiries.

Police Probe Launched as Body Found At Charlton Stadium

REUTERS/Tony O Brien

The Met police are considering the possibility that the man fell from a height on Monday morning before passing away. A spokesperson gave a statement confirming the authorities’ response after concerns were raised about the individual:

“At around 11:15hrs on Tuesday, 18 August, officers attended The Valley stadium on Floyd Road, Charlton, following concerns for the welfare of a person. Officers attended alongside the London Ambulance Service and located a 33-year-old man, who was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.”

They added: “His next of kin have been informed and continue to be supported. Officers are investigating the possibility that the man had fallen from height prior to his death. The death is being treated as unexpected, and an investigation is ongoing.”

The Valley has been home to Charlton since 1919 and was reopened after being modernized in December 1992. It holds a capacity of 27,111 and features a safe standing section spanning eight rows.

Charlton Release Statement

Charlton released a statement of their own to inform fans about the situation and sent their condolences. They wrote:

“Charlton Athletic are supporting the police with their enquiries following the discovery of a deceased individual at The Valley on Tuesday morning. Police were called to the stadium today after an incident that occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning. A male was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. The death remains under investigation.”

The Championship club added: “Everyone at Charlton Athletic would like to express their deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the individual’s family, friends and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.”

Charlton also moved to rule out any suggestion of wrongdoing on their part: “The club are continuing to assist the authorities with their enquiries and respectfully ask that the privacy of those affected is respected. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of the club.”

The club also thanked staff in their statement for ‘the professionalism they have shown while dealing with a particularly difficult and distressing situation’. They ask ‘anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident to contact police on 101 quoting reference 2809/18AUG.’

Newcastle United have reportedly made Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall their prime target to strengthen their midfield this summer.

The Magpies have been rocked this summer after losing Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes to Spurs and Arsenal, respectively, while Anthony Gordon, Kieran Trippier, and Eddie Howe have also all departed since the end of last season, with Matthias Jaissle stepping into the dugout.

The club had been looking at bringing the Sweden international into the club prior to Howe’s departure, with a £46m bid rejected by the north London side, despite the player having asked to leave for more regular football elsewhere.

But after Howe departed St James’ Park, there were question marks about whether they would continue to pursue their interest, while there were some suggestions that Roberto De Zerbi may have been able to convince him to stay until January.

However, according to The Sun, new boss Jaissle has come into Newcastle and has made the 20-year-old central midfielder a prime target to help with his midfield rebuild in this transfer window.

Tottenham are understood to value Bergvall in excess of £50m, and Newcastle must decide whether they will be willing to match that asking price to get a deal done, amid competition from the likes of Brighton and Nottingham Forest.

De Zerbi Wants Bergvall to Stay

Action Images via Reuters

Speaking earlier in the summer, De Zerbi made it clear that he wanted Bergvall to stay at the club, but also that he wouldn’t stand in the Swede’s way if he wanted to leave.

“I said ‘Who doesn’t want to stay in Tottenham, who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave’. I want proud players who are happy to stay here and to go on the pitch at Tottenham Stadium with a big motivation,” he said.

“If you think also in the World Cup, the motivation makes the difference. The motivation is to be happy to stay in one team.

“Otherwise, we have to find a new solution with Johan Lange, with Vinai (Venkatesham). It’s not my business after the decision to leave (if that happens).”

Since then, Bergvall has been a regular in pre-season, racking up 274 minutes across Tottenham’s eight pre-season games. That was less than only eight other players.

Little Known Rule Plays Part in Deal

via Reuters

Newcastle’s interest in Bergvall is long-standing this summer, and it has now emerged that they may have been forced to wait to push for his signing due to a little-known rule that has come into effect in this transfer window.

Under the newly enforced regulations from FIFA, if two clubs buy and sell from one another within a 45-day window, the transactions are officially classed as a ‘swap deal’ for accounting purposes. That will have had a big impact on Newcastle’s books, considering they needed to sell to help balance them.

As of today (August 18), 43 days have passed since that deal went through, meaning the Magpies are all-but in the clear to get a deal done if they want to.