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Football is one of the most lucrative sports worldwide, with billions of pounds invested in the sport every year. Clubs use a significant percentage of this money to pay their players' wages and salaries.
Clubs offer players contracts and pay them based on their expected output, but not every player is able to match this output after receiving vast sums of money. Often, these player wages can eventually become a problem, as with FC Barcelona in 2021, and clubs will be forced to offload players.
Some clubs have wage bills running into the hundreds of millions of pounds yearly, and it is only normal for a good number of players to be overpaid. Without further ado, here is a list of 10 overpaid football stars in the world presently based on data from Spotrac.com.
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#10 Kepa Arrizabalaga (£155,000)
Kepa Arrizabalaga joined Chelsea for a world-record fee in 2018 and signed a seven-year contract that saw him receive a significant increase to his salary. The Spaniard earns £155,000 per week, putting him among the highest-earning goalkeepers in the world. Kepa's performances have, however, not justified his huge wages.
After an impressive debut campaign at the club, the goalkeeper began to perform poorly. Thus, Chelsea were forced to sign another goalkeeper in Edouard Mendy, who has played a starring role since and has made the No. 1 jersey his own. Kepa has not performed at the level expected of him at Chelsea despite his wages.
#9 Callum Hudson-Odoi (£180,000)
England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi was hailed as a generational talent after coming through the Chelsea academy, such that Bayern Munich went all in for him. As a result, Chelsea handed him a new deal believed to be worth up to £180,000 weekly with bonuses and incentives.
The winger has failed to reach the heights that saw Chelsea and Bayern jostle to secure a deal for him. He has scored only four league goals for Chelsea since 2018, an indicator of his profligacy in front of goal.
#8 Timo Werner (£272,000)
German striker Timo Werner joined Chelsea to solve their goalscoring woes, but he has largely failed in that respect. The 26-year-old is one of the highest earners at the club with a salary of £272,000 but has failed to deliver regularly.
The German forward, in a recent interview, admitted that he has not performed at the level required of him at the club. Werner has scored only seven Premier League goals since his switch from RB Leipzig after Chelsea activated his release clause to sign him in June 2020.
#7 Jadon Sancho (£350,000)
After failing to impress in the European Championship in the summer, Jadon Sancho joined Manchester United for around £73 million, ending speculation on his future. The young winger had turned heads in his time in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester United had been on his trail since 2018.
Upon joining the Red Devils, Sancho signed a five-year contract worth £350,000 weekly, but has failed to impress. A combination of poor form and confidence issues have seen the young Englishman contribute very little to a struggling Manchester United side.
The 21-year-old forward has scored only two goals in 23 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils this season despite playing in a star-studded forward line.
#6 Anthony Martial (£250,000)
Anthony Martial and Manchester United are presently at loggerheads, with the French forward reportedly keen on a move away from the club. Martial's wages have proven to be a stumbling block for all of his suitors, as he earns around £250,000 weekly at Manchester United presently.
A potential loan move to Spanish side Sevilla was scuppered when the club decided they could not afford to pay his salary. The forward joined Manchester United as a teenager from AS Monaco, but has hardly distinguished himself as an exceptional player.
Martial has appeared only ten times for Manchester United this season, with one goal to show for his efforts at the club.
#5 Philippe Coutinho (£380,000)
Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho only recently joined Aston Villa on loan with an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season. The 28-year-old endured a horrible spell at FC Barcelona before making his return to the Premier League.
Coutinho joined the Spanish giants for around £115 million from Liverpool, but struggled to make an impact at the club. Coutinho's contract at the Nou Camp includes a £380,000 weekly pay, much to the angst of the club's fans.
Coutinho managed 25 goals in 106 appearances for Barcelona before he was moved on to Aston Villa, where he hopes to revive his career.
#4 Eden Hazard (£416,000)
Sometimes, dreams can become nightmares in the blink of an eye. Eden Hazard left Chelsea for Real Madrid in 2019 to follow his childhood dreams, and has faced a great deal of problems since then. The dazzling forward joined Los Blancos for over £100 million and signed a contract that would see him receive double of what he earned at Chelsea.
Injuries have largely kept the Belgium captain from featuring for Real Madrid, limiting him to only 59 appearances since making his switch. Hazard earns around £416,000 weekly, but has greatly failed to justify this huge salary three years into his contract at the club.
#3 Oscar (£540,000)
Former Brazil midfielder Oscar was a star for the Selecao at the 2012 Olympics and was immediately snapped up by Chelsea from Internacional. Oscar spent five seasons at Stamford Bridge before completing a shock move to Chinese top-flight side Shanghai SIPG. The Brazilian midfielder instantly became one of the faces of the league, as well as a key player for his team.
Sometime after his transfer to China, the midfielder fielded questions from journalists about his ambition to return to Europe. Oscar's response was that his decision to stay on in China was influenced by the huge sum of money he was receiving.
The 30-year-old Brazilian presently earns around £540,000 on a weekly basis. He has been linked with a move to FC Barcelona in recent weeks as a replacement for the departed Philippe Coutinho.
#2 Aaron Ramsey (£400,000)
Since leaving Arsenal for Juventus on a free transfer, Aaron Ramsey has struggled for form and confidence in Turin. The Welshman currently earns around £400,000 weekly, making him one of the club's highest earners. The midfielder has featured only five times this season for the Bianconeri in all competitions.
Ramsey has featured 70 times for Juventus since his switch in 2019, scoring six goals and contributing six assists. Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri did not mince words when he said he hoped to move Ramsey on in this transfer window.
Newcastle have been linked with a move for the Wales midfielder in this transfer window, as have his former side Arsenal.
#1 Gareth Bale (£508,000)
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has made only three appearances for Los Blancos this season, scoring one goal for them. The Wales captain joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur for a world-record fee of £86m in 2013.
Bale has been at loggerheads with Real Madrid for the past few years after his comments while on international duty with Wales. Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane tried to get the winger to leave the Santiago Bernabeu by freezing him out, but Bale remained at the club. The winger went to Tottenham Hotspur on loan before returning to Real Madrid after the expiry of his loan deal.
Bale was close to leaving for the Chinese Super League in 2020, but the deal was blocked by Real Madrid at the last moment. Bale has barely featured for Real Madrid in recent seasons, and still earns around £508,000 weekly, making him one of the club's highest earners.
