Erling Haaland reportedly earns just shy of an eye-watering £900,000 per week at Manchester City.
The Citizens signed Haaland in a £51million deal from Borussia Dortmund this summer – a fee that was seen as representing tremendous value for money for arguably the most decisive player in world football. But the real cost of the deal was significantly higher due to agent fees and subsequent signing-on arrangements.
Haaland's Man City salary had until now been the subject of speculation, but according to the Daily Mail the striker - alongside earning a base rate in line with the rest of Pep Guardiola's squad - makes substantially more in add-ons that makes him the best-paid player in the country by a considerable margin.
It is outlined how the Norwegian striker is set to earn a total of £45m in his first season at the Etihad, which breaks down into a staggering £865,000 per week. Despite Haaland's sensational return for City so far, which many will argue makes the outlay justifiable, the total costs involved are eye-watering.
It has been reported that Cristiano Ronaldo became the highest-paid player in the Premier League following his high-profile return to Manchester United from Juventus last year after 12 seasons away from Old Trafford. The Portuguese superstar earns £25.5m per year – substantially less than Haaland's current wage.
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Kylian Mbappe had been thought to currently be the world's best-paid player. In figures outlined by Marca, the Frenchman is earning £42.5m (€50m) per annum, which is in addition to his bonus of £153m (€180m) for staying at the Parc des Princes, where he now also has 100 per cent control of his image rights.
This is not the highest contract ever to be given to a player – that was £64m (€75m) annual salary that Lionel Messi received in his final seasons at Barcelona. He had to accept a huge salary reduction this year to £25.5m (€30m) with PSG, although this will increase to £34m (€40m) for the final year of his deal in Paris. It is claimed that Messi has received more than €1,000m throughout his career – more than any other individual.
