Top 10 highest paid Ligue 1 players admirable

The French First League is a professional league for French men’s football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, this is the country’s most superlative football league. Run by Ligue de Football Professionnel, Ligue 1 consists of 20 clubs and operates under a promotion and relegation system from and to Ligue 2. PSG’s stars are paid very well and they are working hard to defend the title with the home team. Unsurprisingly, PSG is the team with the most high-paid players in Ligue 1. Let’s Premiumsoccertips.net see who those stars are and which players make it to the top highest paid Ligue 1 players.

Top 10 highest paid Ligue 1 players

1. Mario Balotelli (Nice)

Mario Balotelli Barwuah, born on August 12, 1990, is an Italian-born Ghanaian striker. Mario Balotelli decided to move to Nice to play after leaving Liverpool. In a less competitive league, it seems like “Super Mario” has somewhat found himself again. He has scored multiple goals to help Nice win matches and has also left familiar images from his time playing for Manchester City or Liverpool. It’s surprising that Balotelli is still the highest-paid player at Nice, earning 450,000 euros per month.

He is famous not only for his football talent at a very young age but also for his notorious reputation due to his hot-headed, rebellious, and undisciplined nature both on and off the field. Because of this, he has been given many nicknames such as Super Mario for his talent, or “Troublemaker” to describe Balotelli’s arrogant and undisciplined personality.

2. Marco Verratti

Marco Verratti, born on November 5, 1992, in Pescara, Italy, is an Italian footballer who plays for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and the Italian national team. He receives a high salary of 450,000 euros per month from PSG, and despite interest from other clubs, Verratti has decided to stay in Paris.

Verratti began his career at Pescara and quickly became recognized as one of the most promising young midfielders in Europe. He helped Pescara win Serie B in the 2011-2012 season and received the Bravo Award in 2012. Verratti’s playing style is often compared to Andrea Pirlo’s with excellent passing skills and game control abilities. He moved to PSG in July 2012 and has won 4 consecutive Ligue 1 titles along with numerous other individual honors.

3. Dimitri Florent Payet

Dimitri Florent Payet, born on March 29, 1987, is a French footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Marseille in Ligue 1 and is a member of the French national team. He accepted a pay cut to return to Marseille and has shown commitment and love for his hometown club. After a successful season at West Ham, Payet decided to remain loyal to Marseille despite opportunities to move to other big clubs.

In his international career, Payet was first called up in 2010 and scored against Romania and Luxembourg in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. He also participated in Euro 2016 with France, where he scored the decisive goal in the opening match against Romania and continued to score in the next match against Albania. He made significant contributions to France reaching the final of Euro 2016 after a 5-2 victory over Iceland in the quarter-finals.

4. Radamel Falcao

Radamel Falcao García Zárate, simply known as Falcao, born on February 10, 1986, in Santa Marta, Colombia, is a professional Colombian footballer, nicknamed “El Tigre” (The Tiger). After difficult times in England, Falcao returned to AS Monaco and revived his impressive form. At Monaco, he consistently scored goals and brought important victories to the team. He was given the captain’s armband and is the highest-paid player at the club.

Falcao moved to Atlético Madrid from Porto for a fee of £35 million. In La Liga, he scored over 30 goals in the 2011-2012 season and helped Atlético win the UEFA Europa League. Then, on May 31, 2013, Falcao moved to AS Monaco for £60 million, signing a 5-year contract. He proved his worth from the start with 9 goals in his first 13 matches for Monaco. Falcao also played for Manchester United on loan in the 2014-2015 season with an option to buy for £50 million when the season ended.

5. Blaise Matuidi

Blaise Matuidi, born on April 9, 1987, is a French football expert who plays as a midfielder. Blaise Matuidi moved to PSG from Saint-Etienne in 2011. Considered a deity during PSG’s dominance in Ligue 1, Matuidi receives a relatively high salary from the club. The French midfielder receives 750,000 euros per month. It was rumored that he would leave after coach Emery took over, but Matuidi was retained and he still demonstrates his important role in PSG’s playing style.

Matuidi began his football career at amateur clubs in the Île-de-France region, such as US Fontenay-sous-Bois and CO Vincennois. In 1999, he was selected to study at the prestigious Clairefontaine academy. After leaving Clairefontaine, Matuidi joined the professional club Créteil and spent three years developing in the club’s youth academy.

6. Javier Matías Pastore

Javier Matías Pastore, born on June 20, 1989, is an Argentine footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. He began his career at Talleres and then moved to Club Atlético Huracán. In 2009, he joined Palermo in Italy for a transfer fee of 4.7 million euros. His time at Palermo attracted the attention of PSG, where he joined in 2011 for a fee of 39.8 million euros, a record at the time for a transfer to France. At PSG, he won 5 Ligue 1 titles.

In 2018, Pastore joined AS Roma for a fee of 24.7 million euros. In the national team, he participated in the 2010 World Cup and three Copa América tournaments, including two finals in 2015 and 2016. Pastore’s PSG salary is 770,000 euros per month, which does not accurately reflect his contributions to the team.

7. Thiago Motta (PSG)

Although past his peak, Thiago Motta remains an important figure in the PSG lineup. The experience and instinct of the Italian midfielder are highly regarded by PSG coaches. Motta still competes across all fronts and always demonstrates his role in PSG’s style of play. Along with Matuidi and Verratti, Motta has formed a harmonious trio of midfielders in recent seasons.

As a midfielder, Motta went through the early stages of his career at Barcelona, where he was often injured. He played two and a half seasons with Inter Milan before joining Paris Saint-Germain in January 2012, winning 27 major trophies with all the clubs combined. Motta also had brief spells with Atlético Madrid in Spain and Genoa in Italy.

8. Edinson Cavani (PSG)

After Ibrahimovic moved to Manchester United, the attention of the media and PSG fans shifted to Edinson Cavani, who faced great pressure to score goals and maintain performance for the Paris team. Despite lacking a reliable attacking partner, Cavani continued to be highly effective, leading the Ligue 1 scoring charts. Cavani’s excellence is not only the result of his goal-scoring ability but also the harmonious combination of individual technique and team spirit.

Edinson Cavani began his career when he joined the youth system of Danubio F.C at the age of 12. After success at the South American Youth Championship in 2007, he attracted the attention of many top clubs and joined Serie A, specifically Palermo, in 2007. His first match for Palermo witnessed an impressive performance, with a beautiful equalizing goal against Fiorentina. Since then, Cavani has become one of the top strikers in Serie A, with his goal-scoring ability and relentless fighting spirit.

9. Angel Di Maria (PSG)

Ángel Fabián di María, born on February 14, 1988, is a professional Argentine footballer currently playing for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and the Argentine national team. He can play as a winger or attacking midfielder. He is often considered one of the top wingers in the world.

As the most prominent name attracting attention from fans, Angel Di Maria, with his technical qualities and talent, is one of the brightest stars playing in Ligue 1. PSG had to pay £44 million to recruit this midfielder from Manchester United, a fee considered worthy of Di Maria. PSG also pays Di Maria a salary of 900,000 euros per month, a very high salary compared to the standard in Ligue 1.

10. Thiago Silva (PSG)

Thiago Emiliano da Silva, known as Thiago Silva, born on September 22, 1984, is a Brazilian footballer playing as a central defender. He is the captain of PSG and receives the highest salary in Ligue 1 currently, at 1.1 million euros per month. Since joining PSG from AC Milan in 2012, Silva has contributed to the team’s defensive solidity and scored many important goals for his team, alongside his undeniable leadership qualities.

On July 14, 2012, Thiago Silva signed a 5-year contract with PSG for a transfer fee of 42 million euros and received a weekly salary of 185,000 euros. He played his first match for PSG on September 18 of the same year, scoring in a 4-1 victory over Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League. His first Ligue 1 match was in a 4-0 win over Bastia on September 22, also his birthday, with a penalty goal helping PSG defeat Marseille 2-0 in the 16th round of the 2012-2013 French League Cup.

Conclude

PSG are a rich team, they are willing to pay very high salaries to attract stars to them. When the talent of PSG’s young players is exploited to replace the old generals and will most likely bring in other stars. Hopefully, through this article, you have learned about the highest paid ligue 1 players. Thank you for following our article!

See also: Top 8 Arsenal highest paid players today