The list of France’s highest-paid footballers highlights an interesting pattern, with attacking players occupying the top positions while several elite defenders feature prominently across the rankings.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe leads the chart with an estimated annual gross salary of €31.25 million, earning more than €10 million above the players in the second position.
AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez follows with €20.41 million, while Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele earns approximately €18.18 million annually.
Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate takes home an estimated €16.67 million, while Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano, Barcelona’s Jules Kounde and Arsenal’s William Saliba also feature among the top earners, with annual salaries ranging between €15.63 million and €16.44 million.
Notably, only one of the ten highest-paid French players currently plays for a French club.
Top 10 highest-paid French footballers
| Position | Player | Club | Annual gross salary |
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | Real Madrid | €31,250,000 |
| 2 | Kingsley Coman | Al Nassr | €20,410,000 |
| 3 | Theo Hernandez | Al Hilal | €20,410,000 |
| 4 | Ousmane Dembele | Paris Saint-Germain | €18,180,000 |
| 5 | Bradley Barcola | Liverpool | €17,047,617 |
| 6 | Ibrahima Konate | Real Madrid | €16,670,000 |
| 7 | William Saliba | Arsenal | €16,438,774 |
| 8 | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich | €16,040,000 |
| 9 | Jules Kounde | Barcelona | €15,630,000 |
| 10 | Hugo Ekitike | Liverpool | €15,221,087 |
Mbappe’s €31.25 million annual earnings place him comfortably ahead of Kingsley Coman and Theo Hernandez, who share the second position with €20.41 million each.
Beyond the top three, the salary differences become considerably smaller, particularly among the defenders ranked between sixth and ninth.
Defensive players account for five of the ten positions, with Hernandez emerging as the highest-paid defender. His annual earnings exceed Konate’s by approximately €3.74 million.
Liverpool and Real Madrid are the only clubs with two representatives each on the list.
Meanwhile, Dembele is the highest-paid French footballer currently playing in France, although three players based outside the country earn more than him.
The biggest salary difference in the rankings is between Mbappe and the second-placed players, highlighting his financial advantage over his compatriots.
