- PSG have 12 of the 13 best paid players in French top tier, thanks to Qatari money
- Neymar earns £2.7m a month before tax, with Cavani and Mbappe on £1.3m
- Outside of PSG, Ligue 1 wages are dwarfed by the English Premier League
PSG's takeover by the mega-rich Qatar Sports Investments changed the competitive and financial face of European football - so it is no surprise they dominate the list of best-paid players in Ligue 1.
French newspaper L'Equipe have published a list of the top 30 best-paid players in the national top division, by monthly wage before tax.
Of these, 13 play in Paris, including 12 of the top 13, with Monaco forward Radamel Falcao - at No 9 on the list - the only interloper.
PSG dominate the list of the best paid players in Ligue 1, with Neymar clear at the top
Neymar earns over double the wage of strike partners Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani
PSG have 12 of the 13 best paid players in the French top tier, thanks to their Qatari money
Even by the standards of the huge wages paid to modern top-level footballers, however, the monthly pay packet of Neymar is extraordinary.
The Brazilian forward joined PSG last summer from Barcelona for a world record transfer fee of £200million after the Ligue 1 side paid his buy-out clause - and they had to pay a pretty penny for his wages too.
Neymar is reportedly paid £2.7million every month - approximately £600,000 per week - which is more than double the next best-paid players in the list.
Monaco striker Radamel Falcao is the only footballer to break the PSG dominated top 10
Those players are Neymar's strike partners, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe, who each earn £1.3million every month, or around £290,000 a week.
Four PSG players are paid over £1m a month, the other being defender Thiago Silva, while Angel Di Maria and Marquinhos earn just shy of seven figures, when their wages are converted from Euros into British currency.
The figures contrast with the wages paid in the English Premier League - the top seven in Ligue 1 would also appear in the top 10 highest earners across the channel.
Ligue 1's 20th best paid player is Steve Mandanda - in England, 20th is Raheem Sterling
However the drop off after the massive wages of PSG is notable. The equal 20th best-paid player in Ligue 1 - including Crystal Palace flop Steve Mandanda - earn just shy of £70,000 per week, while the 20th best-paid player in England is Raheem Sterling, on £135,000 weekly.
Fans of English clubs will also note a few familiar names earning good money in France - former Newcastle forward Hatem Ben Arfa earns £444,000 per month (£98,000 per week) to sit in PSG's reserves.
Dimitri Payet, after leaving West Ham in acrimonious circumstances in January 2016, takes home the same pay packet as Ben Arfa, while former Manchester City and Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli is the sole Nice player in the top 30, on £400,000 per month (around £90,000 per week).
Former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is the only Nice player to make the list
| Player | Club | Monthly Wage (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Neymar | PSG | 2.7million |
| Edinson Cavani | PSG | 1.3million |
| Kylian Mbappe | PSG | 1.3million |
| Thiago Silva | PSG | 1.2million |
| Angel Di Maria | PSG | 995,000 |
| Marquinhos | PSG | 995,000 |
| Thiago Motta | PSG | 777,000 |
| Javier Pastore | PSG | 685,000 |
| Radamel Falcao | Monaco | 666,000 |
| Dani Alves | PSG | 620,000 |
| Julian Draxler | PSG | 533,000 |
| Marco Verratti | PSG | 533,000 |
| Hatem Ben Arfa | PSG | 444,000 |
| Dimitri Payet | Marseille | 444,000 |
| Luiz Gustavo | Marseille | 444,000 |
| Mario Ballotelli | Nice | 400,000 |
| Florian Thauvin | Marseille | 365,000 |
| Steve Mandanda | Marseille | 310,000 |
| Joao Moutinho | Monaco | 310,000 |
| Mariano Diaz | Lyon | 310,000 |
| Memphis Depay | Lyon | 310,000 |
| Keita Balde | Monaco | 300,000 |
| Kostas Mitroglou | Marseille | 293,000 |
| Valere Germain | Marseille | 266,000 |
| Adil Rami | Marseille | 266,000 |
| Nabil Fekir | Lyon | 266,000 |
| Bertrand Traore | Lyon | 266,000 |
| Kamil Glik | Monaco | 257,500 |
| Stevan Jovetic | Monaco | 250,000 |
| Thomas Meunier | PSG | 230,000 |
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