- Mbappe was unveiled as a Madrid player on Tuesday, wearing the kit for the first time
- Striker accepted a huge pay cut to join the Spanish giants from his former club PSG
- The 25-year-old has become Madrid’s highest-earning player, but not in LaLiga
Kylian Mbappé will be one of the biggest names in LaLiga next season after finally being announced as a Real Madrid player last week, but he will miss out on the top spot in terms of salary.
The France captain was presented to a packed Bernabeu Stadium after joining the Spanish giants on a free transfer earlier this summer. He underwent his medical on Tuesday following the conclusion of Euro 2024, in which he helped Le Blues reach the semi-finals.
Mbappe had long been linked with a move to Madrid, but decided to stay at his old club, with PSG seemingly spending every available euro they could get to ensure he stayed in the French capital.
As a result, the 25-year-old earned millions, but his move to Madrid has seen that pay packet slashed significantly. The SuMbappe may be the club’s highest-earning player, but he is still far from the division leader.
They claim that Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent seasons, is LaLiga’s highest-earning player with an annual salary of £31.6million.
Kylian Mbappe was finally unveiled as a Real Madrid player last week in a packed Bernabeu stadium
Barcelona duo Frenkie de Jong (right) and Robert Lewandowski (center) are LaLiga’s top two earners
Real Madrid teammates Vinicius Jnr (left) and Jude Bellingham (right) are sixth and seventh on the list respectively
In fact, Barcelona players occupy the top two spots, with teammate Robert Lewandowski on a reported £28.2m, followed by Mbappe on £26.3m.
Despite missing out on the basic salary, Mbappe will receive a significant signing fee, reportedly in excess of €100m (£85.6m), and will retain 80 per cent of the image rights on any new commercial deals he signs after joining Madrid, breaking with the normal 50-50 split the club typically imposes on new signings.
La Liga announced the latest salary caps for all Spanish clubs last month. The figures are calculated based on each club’s expected income and expenditure and will determine their actions on the transfer market.
Real Madrid have set the highest salary cap at €727m (£622.5m), meaning they can accommodate Mbappe without having to sell. The news was much worse for Barcelona, whose salary cap is set at just €204m.
This figure is around €200m (£171m) above the current wage bill and means they will have to sell players this summer to bring new players to the club.
Mbappe is one of six Real Madrid players in the top 10. Along with three Barcelona players, Spain’s two biggest clubs command the highest salaries in the top division.
The only exception, according to the report, is Atletico Madrid stopper Jan Oblak, who narrowly misses out on the top five on an annual salary of £17.5m, the same as Madrid winger Vinicius Jnr.
Just ahead of them is defender David Alaba on £19m, who has been out of action since December with a cruciate ligament injury. The three other members of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad on the list are goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham.
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak is the only player in the top 10 who does not play for Real Madrid or Barcelona
Courtois, who also missed much of last season with a cruciate ligament injury before suffering a setback on his return, is reportedly earning £12.2m, with Valverde just ahead of him in ninth place on £12.6m.
Bellingham is slightly higher up the list in seventh place with an annual salary of £15.8m. He joined the team last summer and enjoyed a stunning debut season that – along with team-mates Vinicius – has made him a leading contender for the Ballon d’Or.
Former Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan is the final inclusion, with his £14m salary placing him eighth.
