As is tradition each year, L'Équipe has revealed the salaries of players in Ligue 1. The French sports newspaper published the details in Wednesday’s edition. Paris Saint-Germain dominates not only on the pitch but also financially, ruling with an iron fist.
According to L'Équipe’s detailed annual salary report, the financial gap between Paris Saint-Germain and the rest of Ligue 1 has never been more evident.
PSG doesn’t just dominate the pitch it completely overshadows its domestic rivals when it comes to wages. The French giants are responsible for paying the twelve highest player salaries in the league, underlining their sheer financial muscle and the growing imbalance within French football.
At the top of the list is winger Ousmane Dembélé, who, despite joining PSG relatively recently, already commands the highest salary in Ligue 1 with a reported €1.5 million per month. He is followed closely by Marquinhos, the long-serving Brazilian captain, who earns €1.12 million monthly, while both Achraf Hakimi and Lucas Hernandez are on €1.1 million each. All four players are integral to PSG’s ambitions both domestically and in Europe and their pay packets reflect that status.
Beyond the €1 million mark, there’s another tier of well-compensated stars all still wearing PSG colours. Warren Zaïre-Emery, the teenage midfield sensation, reportedly earns €950,000 per month, placing him well ahead of many veteran players in the league. He’s followed by Vitinha, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (a new arrival whose signing caused a stir), Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nuno Mendes, Presnel Kimpembé, Bradley Barcola, and Desiré Doué, whose wages range between €950,000 and €500,000 per month. The sheer number of PSG players at the top of the earnings chart emphasizes just how far the club is ahead of the competition.
The first non-PSG names appear only in joint 12th place. Adrien Rabiot and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, both now at Olympique Marseille, along with Alexandre Lacazette of Olympique Lyon, each earn around €500,000 per month still among the top earners in Ligue 1, but far behind the Parisian elite. These three remain standout names in French football, but their salaries while impressive also highlight the gulf in resources compared to PSG.
A broader look at the league’s financial structure reveals more about its hierarchy. Among the 31 highest-paid players, 15 play for PSG, 7 for Marseille, 4 for Lyon, 2 for Stade Rennes, 2 for AS Monaco, and 1 for OGC Nice. The remaining clubs are nowhere to be seen, reinforcing how concentrated the league’s wealth has become.
When it comes to Dutch players, L'Équipe doesn’t provide a complete picture they only list the ten highest earners per club but even that offers some insight. Azor Matusiwa, playing for Stade Rennes, is reportedly the best-paid Dutchman in Ligue 1, earning €235,000 per month, which places him sixth in the salary hierarchy at the club. While not close to the top of the Ligue 1 earnings list, it still marks a strong position within his team and reflects Rennes’ ambition to retain and attract quality players.
The newspaper also turned the spotlight on managers’ salaries, and once again, PSG sits well ahead of the pack. Luis Enrique, the Spanish head coach brought in to lead PSG’s new project, earns a reported €1 million per month, putting him in a league of his own. The only manager remotely close in earnings is Roberto De Zerbi, newly appointed at Marseille, who reportedly takes home €550,000 per month.
The differences become even starker further down the list. Sama Diawara, the manager of Stade Reims, is said to earn just €16,000 per month a modest figure by top-flight standards and a stark contrast to his PSG counterpart. Such disparity shows that the financial divide in Ligue 1 is not only a player issue but extends to the coaching staff as well.
What’s perhaps most concerning for the French league is that these top salaries may not be sustainable. In fact, L'Équipe warns that they are more likely to decrease in the near future rather than rise. The main culprit: the ongoing crisis surrounding television broadcasting rights in France.
Over the past few years, Ligue 1 has struggled to secure long-term, lucrative TV deals a situation that has strained club budgets across the country. The Mediapro fiasco in 2020 dealt a heavy financial blow, and since then, the league has been unable to match the revenue levels of its European peers. With broadcasting income being a vital lifeline for most clubs (outside of PSG, which is backed by Qatari ownership), the financial outlook remains fragile.
This financial uncertainty has direct implications for the league’s standing in Europe. France currently ranks fifth in UEFA’s league coefficient table, just behind the traditional “Big Four” the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga. That fifth spot is critical, as it ensures additional European competition places and vital TV money. But with Portugal and the Netherlands gaining ground, that ranking and the income that comes with it is under threat.
In short, L'Équipe’s salary report paints a picture of a league where one club reigns supreme, while the rest try to survive in a financially volatile environment. PSG’s payroll might dazzle on paper, but it also exposes the imbalance that’s becoming harder and harder to ignore. For Ligue 1 to thrive, the challenge will be finding ways to ensure competitive balance, financial stability, and a more sustainable future for all 18 clubs not just the ones playing at the Parc des Princes.
