Every Premier League season's record earner as Cristiano Ronaldo beaten to top wage
The Premier League has become a financial giant since its inception in 1992, with the record for the highest wage being frequently broken, though Cristiano Ronaldo has never held it
The Premier League is now a financial behemoth, with players across the division earning mouth-watering sums of money.
Many now earn more than £200,000 per week, which is a massive increase on what even the top stars were being paid back when the league launched. The breakaway competition came to fruition back in 1992.
Over the course of the next 32 years, many of the football's biggest stars have been attracted to the English top-flight's wealth, buoyed by rich backers such as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Chelsea chief Todd Boehly. Mirror Football looks at every season's top earner and how wages have considerably increased over time.
1992-1994 - John Barnes, £10,000-per-week
The Liverpool icon became the first British player to earn £10,000 per week back in 1987, remaining on those wages until 1994. Those were huge sums, given that the average annual wage for a Premier League footballer at the time was £77,000 and Barnes was earning £520,000.
1994/95 - Eric Cantona, £18,000-per-week
The season started with Barnes and Chris Sutton as the top earners, but Manchester United handed Eric Cantona a bumper contract to blow them out of the water. The Frenchman's deal took his weekly wage to £18,000.
1995/96 - Dennis Bergkamp, £25,000-per-week
Dennis Bergkamp arrived at Arsenal after a mixed spell at Inter Milan, immediately being handed a league-leading £25,000 per week contract. He more than returned the faith though, with all of the Gunners' Premier League titles coming while he was at the club.
1996/97 - Fabrizio Ravanelli, £42,000-per-week
Arriving from Serie A a year later was Fabrizio Ravanelli, with Middlesbrough paying him £42,000 per week. He only spent one year at the Riverside, though was still a success as he scored 31 goals in 48 matches in all competitions.
1997-1999 - Alan Shearer, £34,000-per-week
After Ravanelli's exit, there was a small drop in the highest wage, with Alan Shearer picking up the mantle after joining Newcastle. The striker was a huge success at St James Park, though did not pick up any individual honours while he was the top-flight's highest earner.
1999-2003 - Roy Keane, £52,000-per-week (1999-2001) then £90,000-per-week (2001-2003)
Enjoying the longest spell as the Premier League's highest earner was Roy Keane. The legendary Manchester United skipper was handed a bumper pay rise after wining the treble, before a contract extension two years later raised his wage by £38,000 per week.
2003/04 - Hernan Crespo, £94,000-per-week
The Roman Abramovich revolution got into full swing when Hernan Crespo was made the top-flight's highest earner in 2003. The Argentine underwhelmed at Stamford Bridge though and spent three of his five seasons with the Blues out on loan.
2004/05 - Frank Lampard, £98,000-per-week
With Crespo failing to live up to his price, Chelsea decided to take Frank Lampard above the striker in the pay charts. The midfielder was handed a £98,000 per week deal in 2004, with Lampard helping them to win the title in the season that followed.
2005/06 - Steven Gerrard, £100,000-per-week
Another Englishman became the first to surpass the £100,000 per week mark when Liverpool handed a bumper deal to Steven Gerrard. The contract followed the midfielder almost single-handely winning the Champions League for the Reds, who were forced to increase their offer amid interest from Chelsea.
2006/07 - Andriy Shevchenko, £118,000-per-week
Abramovich got his wallet out again a year after Gerrard's new deal though, when he brought Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea. He was handed a massive £118,000 contract, but scored just four goals in his debut season, as he badly failed to live up to his price tag.
2007/08 - John Terry, £135,000-per-week
After Shevchenko's struggles, Abramovich opted to reward a consistent performer in John Terry. The Chelsea captain was handed wages of £135,000 per week, though his costly slip in the Champions League final came at the end of this season.
2008/09 - Robinho, £160,000-per-week
As soon as Abu Dhabi's investment fund had bought Manchester City, they made a move for Robinho. To entice the Brazilian into joining, he was given a record contract worth £160,000 per week, with the attacker enduring a mixed time at the club.
2009-2013 - Carlos Tevez, £250,000-per-week
City's new-found financial power continued a year after Robinho's transfer, when Carlos Tevez arrived to become the first player to break both the £200,000 and £250,000 per week mark. The striker enjoyed a brilliant time with City, winning the title in 2012.
2013-2017 - Wayne Rooney, £300,000-per-week
Not to be outdone, City's rivals Manchester United gazumped Tevez's deal by making Wayne Rooney the first £300,000 per week man. The attacker had threatened to leave Old Trafford, but the new deal ensured he would go on to become the club's record goalscorer and add several more trophies to his collection.
2017-2019 - Alexis Sanchez, £350,000-per-week
United continued their financial dominance when they made Alexis Sanchez the first player to earn £350,000 per week. The move turned out to be a disaster though, with Sanchez scoring just three goals during his time with the Red Devils.
2019/20 - David de Gea, £375,000-per-week
Despite the Sanchez disaster, United continued to spend, making David de Gea the club's highest earner despite his downturn in form. He would leave Old Trafford three years later, having never lived up to his massive wages.
2020/21 - Gareth Bale, £560,000-per-week
While he was only on loan at Spurs, Gareth Bale was still being paid £560,000 per week, the bulk of which was being dolled out by Real Madrid. He struggled for form during his season-long stay, but his massive wage remains the highest ever paid to a Premier League player.
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2021/22 - Cristiano Ronaldo, £480,000-per-week
Bale's massive wages means that Cristiano Ronaldo misses out on the record wage. Ronaldo was given a bumper £480,000 per week deal when he returned to Manchester United, though he would leave 18 months later after falling out with boss Erik ten Hag.
2022-present - Kevin De Bruyne, £400,000 per week
With Ronaldo gone, Manchester City jumped back into the lead for spending power. The contract they handed Kevin de Bruyne in 2021 is now the highest in the division, though the Belgian has played just one game this season.
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