Short answer: Lamine Yamal, 19, is the best-paid under-21 player in world football, with estimated 2026/27 pay of €320,000 a week (about €16.6 million a year). Warren Zaïre-Emery is second on an estimated €220,000 a week at Paris Saint-Germain. Clubs do not publish salaries, so the ranking uses tracker estimates.
Key Takeaways
- The Teenage King: At 19, Lamine Yamal is the best-paid under-21 player in world football. Salary trackers estimate his 2026/27 pay at €320,000 a week (≈€16.6 million a year); his reported base salary is €15 million, behind a €1 billion buyout clause.
- Parisian Royalty: 20-year-old midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery is second, on an estimated €220,000 a week (≈€11.4 million) at Paris Saint-Germain.
- Premier League Leaders: Chelsea’s Jorrel Hato (≈£120,000 a week) and Manchester United’s Leny Yoro (≈£115,000 a week) are the best-paid under-21s in England on tracker estimates.
- Who Misses Out: Arda Güler, Kobbie Mainoo, Kenan Yıldız, Rico Lewis and Mathys Tel had turned 21 before the season started, and Endrick’s estimated €70,000 a week (≈€3.6 million) at Real Madrid is too low for the top 10.
There was a time when young footballers had to grind through reserve fixtures, bide their time on the bench, and earn modest development wages before signing a life-changing contract. Those days are over. In modern European football, teenage prodigies are no longer prospects—they are franchise cornerstones carrying the tactical and financial weight of football’s biggest institutions.
When clubs identify world-class teenage talent today, they face fierce global competition. To fend off rival bids from state-backed powerhouses and Premier League titans, sporting directors offer six-figure weekly wages and multi-year contract renewals before players even celebrate their twenty-first birthdays. As highlighted in our breakdown of the highest release clauses in football, tying young stars down with big wages and buyout clauses is how elite clubs protect themselves in the transfer market.
Clubs do not publish individual salaries, so this ranking is built from 2026/27 salary estimates published by The National (based on Capology and SalaryLeaks data) and by Salarysport. Here is our ranking of the Top 10 Highest-Paid Under-21 Football Players in the World.
Who are the highest-paid under-21 footballers in 2026/27?
The table below ranks the ten best-paid under-21 players by estimated gross 2026/27 salary, with weekly pay, club, current age and contract expiry where it has been reported. A player counts as under-21 if he was aged 20 or younger on 1 July 2026. The top two places are clear, but from 3rd place down the order rests on salary-tracker estimates (Salarysport and The National’s Capology/SalaryLeaks-based club guides), and the trackers sometimes disagree, so treat it as indicative.
| Rank | Player | Club | Age | Est. Weekly Wage | Est. Annual Salary | Contract Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamine Yamal | FC Barcelona | 19 | €320,000 | ≈€16.6M | June 2031 |
| 2 | Warren Zaïre-Emery | Paris Saint-Germain | 20 | €220,000 | ≈€11.4M | June 2029 |
| 3 | Roger Fernandes | Al-Ittihad | 20 | £186,000 | ≈£9.7M | — |
| 4 | Franco Mastantuono | Real Madrid (on loan at Fiorentina) | 19 | €140,000 | ≈€7.3M | Loan to June 2027 |
| 5 | Jorrel Hato | Chelsea | 20 | £120,000 | ≈£6.2M | — |
| 6 | Leny Yoro | Manchester United | 20 | £115,000 | ≈£6.0M | June 2029 |
| 7 | Yusuf Akçiçek | Al-Hilal | U21 | £95,000 | ≈£4.9M | — |
| 8 | Johan Manzambi | Aston Villa | U21 | £85,000 | ≈£4.4M | — |
| 9 | Jobe Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund | 21 (20 on 1 July) | £83,000 | ≈£4.3M | — |
| 10 | Pau Cubarsí | FC Barcelona | 19 | €76,000 | ≈€4.0M | — |
Best-paid under-21 footballers, 2026/27. Source: salary-tracker and press estimates (see article). From 3rd place down the order is indicative.
How much does each of the top 10 under-21 players earn?
1. Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona) — ≈€16.6M / Year (€320,000 / Week)
Lamine Yamal is not merely the most gifted teenager in football—he is a commercial and sporting phenomenon. After winning Euro 2024 with Spain and rising to the Ballon d’Or podium, he signed a new Barcelona contract in May 2025 that runs to 30 June 2031.
Reports on that renewal put his base salary at €15 million gross a season, rising to as much as €20 million with bonuses. Salary trackers estimate his 2026/27 pay at €320,000 a week (≈€16.6 million), and Forbes estimates his 2026/27 on-field earnings, bonuses included, at $35 million. Crucially for Barcelona, the deal carries a €1 billion buyout clause. Paying a 19-year-old over €300,000 a week is a heavy commitment under La Liga’s cost controls, but failing to do so would have left Barcelona exposed to PSG and the Premier League.
2. Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain) — ≈€11.4M / Year (€220,000 / Week)
Following the departure of Kylian Mbappé to Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain shifted their sporting identity away from ageing Galácticos and toward home-grown talent. A leading figure of this era is midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery.
In April 2024, weeks after his eighteenth birthday, Zaïre-Emery signed an extension to 2029. Salary trackers estimate his 2026/27 pay at €220,000 a week (≈€11.4 million), although Salarysport puts it lower, at about £140,000 a week. Either way he is one of the best-paid players of his age anywhere, reflecting his place in Qatar Sports Investments’ domestic vision.
3. Roger Fernandes (Al-Ittihad) — ≈£9.7M / Year (£186,000 / Week)
Third place rests on a single salary tracker. Salarysport estimates Roger Fernandes’ 2026/27 wage at Al-Ittihad at £186,000 a week (≈£9.7 million). Saudi clubs do not publish salaries and no second tracker confirms the figure, so treat it as an estimate.
If the figure is close, it shows how far Saudi Pro League money now reaches into the under-21 market.
4. Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid, on loan at Fiorentina) — ≈€7.3M / Year (€140,000 / Week)
The 19-year-old Argentine is spending 2026/27 on a season-long loan at Fiorentina that runs to 30 June 2027. The National’s Real Madrid salary guide lists him at €140,000 a week (≈€7.3 million); Salarysport’s estimate is lower, at about £104,000 a week.
He is now Real Madrid’s best-paid under-21. Endrick, who stays at the club this season, is estimated at €70,000 a week (≈€3.6 million), and Arda Güler (€100,000 a week) turned 21 in February 2026. How those wages fit inside the club’s limits is covered in our study of La Liga spending caps.
5. Jorrel Hato (Chelsea) — ≈£6.2M / Year (£120,000 / Week)
Chelsea’s Jorrel Hato is the best-paid under-21 in the Premier League on The National’s estimate of £120,000 a week (≈£6.2 million); Salarysport puts him at about £100,000. Right behind him is Manchester United’s Leny Yoro, signed from Lille in 2024 for up to €62 million and estimated at £115,000 a week (≈£6.0 million). Yoro turns 21 on 13 November 2026.
How those wages compare with the rest of the league’s spending is covered in our study on Premier League club wage bills and salary spent per point. The two estimates are close enough that the order could swap depending on the tracker.
Why do clubs pay millions to teenage footballers?
To traditional supporters, paying a 19-year-old over €300,000 a week feels disconnected from reality. But within modern club finance, high youth salaries are a calculated risk-management strategy:
- Avoiding the Nine-Figure Transfer Fee: Developing an academy player like Lamine Yamal or Pau Cubarsí and paying them roughly €4M–€17M a year (2026/27 estimates) can save a club from spending €100M+ on transfer fees, amortisation charges, and agent commissions.
- Asset Protection via Buyout Clauses: Spanish law (Royal Decree 1006/1985) lets a player end his contract by paying compensation, which clubs normally fix in advance as a release clause. Barcelona set Yamal’s at €1 billion.
- Commercial and Social Media Power: Today’s young fans follow players rather than badges. Stars like Yamal drive shirt sales, global social followings, and sponsorships before ever turning twenty-two.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who is the highest-paid under-21 football player in the world?
Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona is the best-paid under-21 footballer. Salary trackers estimate his 2026/27 pay at €320,000 a week (≈€16.6 million a year); his reported base salary is €15 million. He is under contract until June 2031 with a €1 billion buyout clause.
Who is the highest-paid young player in the Premier League?
On tracker estimates, Chelsea’s Jorrel Hato is the best-paid under-21 in the Premier League at about £120,000 a week (≈£6.2 million a year), just ahead of Manchester United’s Leny Yoro at about £115,000 a week (≈£6.0 million).
How much does Endrick earn at Real Madrid?
The National’s 2026/27 salary guide estimates Endrick’s pay at Real Madrid at €70,000 a week (≈€3.6 million a year). That leaves him outside the top 10 under-21 earners.
Do teenage player wages count towards UEFA Financial Fair Play?
Yes. Under UEFA’s Squad Cost Rule (which limits squad spending to 70% of club revenue), every euro paid in first-team base wages, bonuses, and image rights counts toward personnel expenditure regardless of player age.
Why do Spanish clubs include €1 billion buyout clauses on young players?
Royal Decree 1006/1985 lets a player in Spain end his contract by paying compensation. If none was agreed, a labour court sets it, so clubs fix a release clause in advance. Since PSG paid Neymar’s €222 million clause in 2017, Barcelona and Real Madrid have set €1 billion clauses for their biggest young stars, including Lamine Yamal.
How We Built This Ranking & Sources
Clubs do not publish individual salaries, so every wage here is an estimate for the 2026/27 season, taken from salary trackers as published in July–September 2026 and checked in October 2026. Eligibility: aged 20 or younger on 1 July 2026. The top two places are clear, but from 3rd place down the order rests on salary-tracker estimates (Salarysport and The National’s Capology/SalaryLeaks-based club guides), which sometimes disagree. Roger Fernandes, Yusuf Akçiçek, Johan Manzambi and Jobe Bellingham rely on Salarysport alone, and Akçiçek’s and Manzambi’s clubs and ages are as Salarysport lists them. Annual figures are our calculation: weekly wage × 52. To order euro and pound salaries we converted pounds at about €1.16. Contract dates are from club announcements as reported by the outlets below; “—” means we could not confirm one.
- The National: Barcelona salaries 2026/27 — Yamal €320,000 and Cubarsí €76,000 a week.
- The National: PSG salary guide 2026/27 — Zaïre-Emery €220,000 a week.
- The National: Real Madrid salaries 2026/27 — Mastantuono €140,000, Güler €100,000 and Endrick €70,000 a week.
- The National: Chelsea salaries 2026/27 — Hato £120,000 a week.
- The National: Manchester United salaries 2026/27 — Yoro £115,000 and Mainoo £150,000 a week.
- Salarysport: wages by age (2026/27) and age-20 list — Fernandes, Akçiçek, Manzambi and Jobe Bellingham estimates, plus the ages and clubs of players who no longer qualify.
- beIN Sports: inside Yamal’s contract extension — reported €15 million base salary and €1 billion clause; The Peninsula (AFP) — contract to 2031.
- Forbes: the world’s highest-paid soccer players 2026 — Yamal’s $35 million 2026/27 on-field estimate.
- ESPN: Zaïre-Emery signs to 2029; beIN Sports: Mastantuono’s Fiorentina loan; Football España: United confirm Yoro — fee and five-year deal; Sports Illustrated: Endrick stays at Real Madrid for 2026/27.
