A Look At The Highest-Paid Premier League Gamers In 2023: Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne And Extra
One of the most competitive and popular football leagues in the world, the Premier League offers the grandest prize in the English domestic footballing landscape. Millions of fans across the globe tune in to watch their favourite clubs compete in the league, week in and week out. In its history, the competition has seen a host of stars gracing fields across England with their impressive footwork. As such, there remains one question in the minds of the followers, who are the highest-paid players in the Premier League in 2023?
Near-capacity attendees in almost every game at every stadium are a familiar sight in the league. Chants, slogans and occasional songs by supporters in the stands are no less than traditions for English football fans. With several top-tier clubs of the football fraternity associated with the league, and many of the best players of the sport playing for these sides, the popularity of the Premier League is justified. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are among the juggernauts of European club football who play in the Premier League.
In recent years, Manchester City has dominated the competition, clinching six titles in the last decade (four of them have come in the last five years). Even though they have not been at their menacing best so far in the 2023-24 season, one can never write off the Blue Army, as they are arguably one of the most lethal sides in club football at present.
With the behemoths of club football come some of the grandest stars of their eras as well. Over the years, football legends like George Best, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Luis Suarez and countless more have battled for glory.
As another season of the Premier League nears its halfway mark, we take a look at the highest-paid players of the competition in 2023. The curation has been made on the basis of the players’ annual salaries.
These players have the highest salaries in Premier League
Erling Haaland
Annual salary in 2023: USD 58 million
Erling Haaland had a record-shattering debut season at Manchester City in 2022-23. Haaland broke the record for the most goals scored by a player in a Premier League season as he found the back of the goal on 36 occasions. In addition to securing the Premier League Golden Boot, Haaland was also named the English League’s Young Player and the Player of the Season, becoming the first participant to earn all three titles in a single year.
It was on the back of Haaland’s heroics that Manchester City enjoyed widespread success in 2022-23. After winning the Premier League and the FA Cup, City won the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. In the process, the Premier League outfit also joined their city rivals Manchester United in becoming the only two clubs to win the coveted treble of the aforementioned tournaments.
Kevin De Bruyne
Annual salary in 2023: USD 39 million
Widely regarded as the most complete player by football pundits, Kevin De Bruyne is one of the best midfielders in the modern era. The Belgian footballer, who leads both the Belgium national side and the Manchester City team, has been a part of the English club for nearly a decade. During this period, he has won five Premier League titles, two FA Cup crowns, five Carabao Cup trophies and a Community Shield title.
In the 587 matches the Belgian has played in his club football career so far, he has scored 143 goals. Moreover, he has made nearly 100 appearances for the Belgium national team and scored 26 goals to date.
Mohamed Salah
Annual salary in 2023: USD 22.9 million
Regarded as the king of Egyptian football by fans, Mohamed Salah (or Mo Salah, as he is often called) has been the face of Liverpool FC for the past few years. Considered one of the greatest African footballers of all time and ranked among the best contemporary players, the prolific forward has enjoyed great success at the Merseyside club. From the prestigious UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup to the Premier League, Salah has won almost every club football competition he has featured in.
In the 2023-24 summer transfer window, Salah drew the attention of the Saudi Pro League clubs. There were talks about Al-Ittihad offering him an annual salary of a whopping USD 82 million. However, such speculations were dismissed by the player’s agent, who made it clear that Salah would keep playing for Liverpool FC.
Salah signed a three-year contract with the Merseyside team in 2022, which saw him become the highest-paid player in the club’s history and one of the highest earners in the English Premier League (EPL) in 2023.
Casemiro
Annual salary in 2023: USD 22.8 million
One of the finest defensive midfielders of his generation, Casemiro has won several big accolades in club football. He was an integral member of the Real Madrid team that won five UEFA Champions League titles between 2014 and 2022. In addition, he has also won three La Liga crowns, three FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cup titles and a solitary Copa Del Rey with the Madrid-based club.
The midfielder, who captains the Brazilian national football team, joined Manchester United in the 2022-23 summer transfer window for a fee of around USD 76.2 million. In his first season with the Red Devils, Casemiro helped Manchester United win the Carabao Cup, the club’s first silverware after six years. He was also instrumental in United reaching the final of the FA Cup and finishing third in the Premier League in the same season.
The absence of Casemiro in the midfield has hurt Manchester United in the 2023-24 season so far, with the team crashing out of the Carabao Cup and the Champions League, and lurking at the sixth position in the Premier League. Even though he has missed most of the first half of the 2023-24 season owing to injuries, the Brazilian still ranks among the highest-paid players in England’s premier footballing league.
Raphael Varane
Annual salary in 2023: USD 22.2 million
A winner of the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, La Liga, Copa Del Rey — Raphael Varane arrived at Old Trafford from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 with such a decorated portfolio. The French defender, widely considered to be one of the best in the world in the modern era, was seen by many as Manchester United’s answer to its defensive woes.
The assumptions around Varane were, and are still, not entirely misplaced. At his best, the Frenchman can stop any attacking threat from reaching the front of the goal. He was even a key member of Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United side that won the Carabao Cup in 2022-23. However, the striking problem with Varane is his susceptibility to injuries. Ever since he arrived at the Manchester-based club, the defender has spent more time off the field than on it.
Regardless of his injury-prone career (so far) at Manchester United, Varane draws a significant sum from the club according to the terms of his contract. He ranks among the highest-paid football players, not only in the Premier League but also around the globe.
Raheem Sterling
Annual salary in 2023: USD 21.2 million
A prolific English winger, Raheem Sterling made the headlines during his time at Manchester City. In 339 appearances for the club, he scored 131 goals. He was one of the pillars of City’s strike force that won the Manchester-based side four Premier League titles (in 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2021-22). In addition, he also won the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup with the Blues.
In July 2022, Sterling signed for Chelsea for a transfer fee of around USD 59.5 million. The five-year deal helps the Englishman earn one of the highest salaries in the Premier League.
Jack Grealish
Annual salary in 2023: USD 19.8 million
A versatile midfield player, who can also double up as a winger as and when his team needs him to, Jack Grealish is one of the most popular English athletes in recent times. He was a member of the Manchester City team that won the coveted treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. Grealish was in the news following City’s continental success in 2023, not because of his on-field performances but for his celebrations after the final of the UEFA Champions League.
In 2021, Grealish became the most expensive British football player in history when Manchester City spent around USD 126.6 million to rope him in from Aston Villa. In over 100 appearances for the club to date, the Briton has found the back of the net 13 times.
Marcus Rashford
Annual salary in 2023: USD 19.5 million
A product of Manchester United’s youth academy, Marcus Rashford made his debut for the Red Devils in February 2016. Since then, the English youngster has only grown in stature. He has won four titles with Manchester United, namely two Carabao Cups (in 2016-17 and 2022-23), the FA Cup (in 2015-16), the Community Shield (in 2016) and the UEFA Europa League (in 2016-17). Rashford also scored on his debut for the English national team in 2016, and in the process, became the youngest English player to score in his maiden senior international game.
In 379 matches for Manchester United to date, Rashford has scored 125 goals. The Englishman scored over 30 goals in 2022-23, becoming the first player to do so for the Manchester-based club in a single season since Robin Van Persie in 2012-13. The five-year contract extension that Rashford signed in July 2023 makes him one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League.
Enzo Fernandez
Annual salary in 2023: USD 19.2 million
Enzo Fernandez has had a positive influence on Chelsea ever since his arrival in January 2023. The young midfielder was a part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning Argentine team and also won the tournament’s Young Player Award. Even when Mauricio Pochettino took the London-based club through a major overhaul in the 2023-24 summer transfer window, the Argentine coach kept faith in the talent that his fellow countryman promised.
In 40 appearances for Chelsea to date, Fernandez has scored three goals. He was signed by the Premier League outfit from Portuguese club Benfica on 31 January 2023 for a then-British-record transfer fee of USD 133.8 million. The terms of Fernandez’s deal landed him one of the highest payouts in the Premier League.
John Stones
Annual salary in 2023: USD 16.5 million
Summing up the list of the highest-paid players in the Premier League in 2023 is John Stones, a regular in the Manchester City and the England national team line-up. Stones is one of the best defenders in the world at present. While he primarily plays as a centre-back, the Briton has often doubled up as a defensive midfielder. He is revered for his sound technical ability and physical presence on the field.
Ever since joining the Manchester-based outfit, Stones has enjoyed tremendous success in terms of adding silverware to his portfolio. The Englishman has won five Premier League titles, two Carabao Cups, two FA Cup crowns, and the UEFA Champions League, which was also a part of City’s historic continental treble in 2022-23.
(Hero Image Credits: Courtesy Erling Braut Haaland/Instagram and Raphael Varane/Instagram; Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Erling Braut Haaland/Instagram)
The story first appeared on Augustman Singapore
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Who is the highest-paid player in the Premier League in 2023?
With an annual salary of USD 58 million, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is the highest-paid player in the Premier League in 2023.
Source: Prestige Online
