Ranking the 5 highest-paid players in Serie A currently
Serie A is one of Europe's top five leagues. Although not as popular and competitive as some of its other counterparts, the Italian top flight has attracted many top players over the years.
The likes of Marco Van Basten, Ronaldo Nazario, Zinedine Zidane, Paolo Maldini, Gianluigi Buffon, and more recently Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgio Chiellini have graced the competition.
Traditionally, Italian clubs have splurged less money, but the trend has changed in the last few years. Juventus spent a fortune to land Ronaldo (€117 million), Gonzalo Higuain (€90 million) and Matthijs de Ligt (€75 million). Inter Milan dished out €74 million for Romelu Lukaku, while Napoli became invested €75 million in Victor Osimhen.
Unsurprisingly, big-name players also have huge wages. While not all of the aforementioned players are still playing in Serie A, there are handsome earners galore in the Italian top flight. On that note, here's a look at the five players with the most wages (after tax) in Serie A at the moment:
Source: Calcio e Finanza (via Football Italia).
#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (four-time Serie A winner) - €134,615 per week
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had a successful stint in the Italian top flight. Still going strong at the age of 40, the Swede has amassed over 150 goals in the competition for three different clubs.
Currently in his second spell with AC Milan, the four-time winner has struck eight times this season, helping the Rossoneri to second place in the league table. He is contracted to Milan until the end of the ongoing season.
With reported wages of €7 million per year, Ibrahimovic is well ahead of the next best-paid Milan player.
OFFICIAL: Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a contract extension with AC Milan for the 2021/2022 season. https://t.co/on8Fi8GKkK
Ibrahimovic recently joined Ronaldo and Messi as the only players to score 300 goals in Europe's top five leagues.
#4 Adrien Rabiot (2020 Serie A winner) - €134,615 per week
Adrien Rabiot arrived at Juventus with much fanfare in the summer of 2019. However, the six-time Ligue 1 winner has struggled to have the expected impact, despite playing almost 80 top-flight games for the Bianconeri.
He has played 17 league games this season, and is contracted with Juventus till 2023. However, the 2020 Serie A winner could be sold by the club if they get the right price.
Adrien #Rabiot is valued at €15M, Juve are willing to sell the French midfielder either this month or in the summer. The club are waiting for the asking price to let the player leave. (@cmdotcom)
A combination of poor form, questionable attitude and injuries have meant that Rabiot never endeared himself to the Juventus faithful.