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La Liga may have lost some of its sheen in the last few years, with the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos.
However, the Spanish top flight has no shortage of world-class players. Many top players have plied their trade in the competition over the years, a trend that has still continued.
Real Madrid (6), Barcelona (10) and Atletico Madrid (2) have won 18 of the last 20 La Liga titles. Unsurprisingly, most top earners in the competition ply their trade at one of the three clubs.
On that note, here's a look at the five highest earners in the Spanish top-flight (as per various sources) at the moment:
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#5 David Alaba - £311,346 per week
David Alaba has hit the ground running since his arrival at Real Madrid last summer on a free transfer.
The 29-year-old former Bayern Munich defender provided an assist on his La Liga debut in Los Blancos' 4-1 win at Alaves. Alaba also provided another assist in the 6-1 home win over Mallorca a month later.
Making his El Clasico debut at Camp Nou in October, the Austrian scored in the league leaders' 2-1 win against their arch-rivals. For his exploits that month, Alaba was nominated for the La Liga player of the month award.
As per Die Spiegel (via Marca), Alaba earns €19.47 million (£16.18 million) a season in Madrid. His contract at the club runs till 2026. Alaba reportedly received a €17.7 million signing bonus from Los Blancos.
#4 Frenkie de Jong - £354,000 per week
Frenkie de Jong is one of the most exciting young midfielders in the game at the moment.
The 24-year-old Dutchman was signed by Barcelona in the summer of 2019 for €86 million. He has played nearly 100 games in the Spanish top flight, bagging six goals and eight assists. Three of those goal contributions have come this season.
De Jong recently extended his contract at the club till 2026, with his buy-out clause standing at €400 million. He is reportedly the highest earner at the club.
A regular under new manager Xavi, De Jong will look to play a key role in helping Barcelona turn their fortunes around during an indifferent campaign.
#3 Luka Modric (two-time La Liga winner) - £390,000 per week
Luka Modric is one of the best active players in La Liga at the moment. Still going strong at the age of 36, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner remains a key player for Real Madrid.
The Croatian has played nearly 300 games in the Spanish top-flight for Los Blancos since arriving in the summer of 2012. Currently in his tenth campaign at the club, Modric hasn't scored yet. However, he has already provided four assists for the league leaders.
With reported annual wages of £20.8 million, Modric is one of the top earners at Real Madrid and in the Spanish top-flight. He's contracted with Los Blancos till the end of the season.
However, Modric is reportedly on the cusp of extending his stay at the club by another year. Manager Carlo Ancelotti is in awe of the Croatian magician and is pushing for a contract extension.
#2 Eden Hazard - £416,000 per week
Eden Hazard arrived at Real Madrid with a lot of fanfare in the summer of 2019. Los Blancos dished out €115 million (£103.5 million) to land the Chelsea star. With reported wages of over £400,000 a week, Hazard is one of the top earners in Spain.
However, the Belgian's stint in La Liga has been a hugely forgettable one. Beset by injuries, poor form and a loss of confidence, Hazard has looked a pale shadow of the player who lit up Stamford Bridge.
The 31-year-old has made less than 50 appearances in the Spanish top-flight, bagging four goals and eight tallies - a far cry from his Chelsea numbers.
With Hazard failing to score in 13 league games this season, Real Madrid are looking to jettison him to cut down on their losses.
Newcastle United are interested in his services but Madrid have rejected an offer from the Magpies. Hazard is also not keen to get embroiled in a relegation dogfight. Hazard is contracted with Los Blancos till 2024 but is unlikely to remain at the club till then.
#1 Gareth Bale (two-time La Liga winner) - £600,000 per week
Gareth Bale arrived at Real Madrid in 2013 and has enjoyed a fairly successful career in Spain.
The two-time La Liga winner has a commendable return of 81 goals and 55 assists in 174 games in the competition. However, the 32-year-old has become an increasingly peripheral figure at the club. He has made less than 20 league appearances since the start of the 2019-20 season.
With reported wages of £600,000 a week, Bale is the most well-paid player in La Liga by quite some distance. However, with only three appearances this season - all in the league - Bale is clearly not in the plans of manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Currently contracted with Madrid till the end of the season, the Welshman is all set to end his stint in Spanish football on a whimper.
