Virgil van Dijk is now over 33 years old. At this age, most footballers often face tough negotiations when it comes to contract renewals. But in Van Dijk’s case, it was quite the opposite. Liverpool were desperate to keep him no matter what. The Dutch defender also didn’t want to leave the club he loves. However, retaining him came at a hefty cost.
Van Dijk has now extended his contract with Liverpool until 2027. According to multiple British outlets, he will earn £400,000 per week under the new deal.
With this contract, Van Dijk is not just Liverpool’s highest-paid defender, but also the highest-paid defender in all of Europe. That brings up the question — is he the highest-paid defender in the world? The answer is no.
With the Saudi Pro League overflowing with petro-dollars, it’s become increasingly difficult for European clubs to compete financially.
Kalidou Koulibaly, currently playing for Saudi club Al Hilal, earns an eye-watering £553,225 per week — nearly £150,000 more than Van Dijk. The former Chelsea and Napoli center-back joined the Saudi side in June 2023.
Right behind Koulibaly and Van Dijk is Aymeric Laporte, who left Manchester City for Al Nassr. He earns £390,627 per week.
Among European-based defenders, following Van Dijk on the salary list are David Alaba of Real Madrid, Achraf Hakimi and Lucas Hernandez of PSG. Next up are English defenders John Stones from Manchester City and Reece James from Chelsea.
Rounding out the top 10 are João Cancelo of Al Hilal and Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich.
