The Portuguese Primeira Liga is one of the best and most competitive leagues in Europe, in fact, it one of the best soccer leagues in the world.
The Primeira Liga has an attractive salary that pays quite well despite not being as financially buoyant as other leagues like the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga.
The Portuguese League championship has some incredible talent that features week in week out. Some of these players are also well paid for their services.
In this article, we will spotlight some of the highest earners in the Portuguese top flight.
7 Highest Paid Players in The Portuguese League
The following are the top best-paid players in the Portuguese Primeira Division for the 2022/23 season.
1. Otavio (FC Porto) — €111,000 per week
Otavio Edmilson da Silva Monteiro, or Otavio, as he is simply called, has been one of the main men at Primeira Liga giants FC Porto since he joined them in 2014.
The attacking midfielder cum winger is at the heart of everything creative for his club.
The 27-year-old has played 165 times for the league defending champions and has scored 15.
He helped his club to claim two Primeira Liga titles in the 2017-2018 and 2019-2020 seasons. He was also named into the Primeira Liga team of the year for the 2019-2020 campaign.
The Brazilian-born Portuguese international is currently one of the highest earners in Porto, going home with about €111,000 per week.
2. David Neres (Benfica) — €77,692 per week
The much-traveled Brazilian winger is currently with top-flight Portuguese side Benfica.
The 25-year-old joined the Lisbon giants in the summer of 2022 from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk without kicking a ball for the latter due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Neres has so far made a total of 21 appearances for the Eagles, with 7 goals to his name.
He’s currently the highest earner at the club, reportedly receiving €77,692 per week.
3. Francisco Trincão (Sporting CP) — ¢75,000 per week
The 22-year-old is currently on loan to Portuguese side Sporting CP from Catalan giants FC Barcelona.
Trincão, as he’s simply called, joined the Lisbon-based side for a €3 million feejust at the beginning of the 2022-2023 campaign and is a winger who can operate on both flanks.
The Portuguese player has featured 13 times in the Primeira this season, scoring three goals.
He also played all 6 group-stage matches in the UEFA Champions League with two goals to his name. Trincao earns about €75,000 weekly playing at Sporting.
4. João Mario (Benfica) — €74,038 per week
The Portuguese midfielder is the second-highest earner at Benfica, pocketing roughly €74,038 per week.
The 29-year-old joined the Primeira Liga club in 2021 and has featured in 40 league games with 9 goals to his name.
Mario was a key member of the Sporting CP team that claimed their first title in almost 20 years.
João has also featured in thie UEFA Champions League this season, scoring 4 goals along the way to help his club qualify for the round of 16 in the Champions League.
5. Mateus Uribe (FC Porto) — €55,577 per week
The Colombian midfielder is another high-earning player at Porto. Uribe collects €55,577 per week playing for the Dragons.
The 31-year-old has made over 95 appearances since joining them in 2019 on a 4-year deal.
Mateus has scored a total of 12 goals across all competitions for the Oporto-based club.
He was recently given a new contract at Porto, making him one of the highest-paid players in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
6. Julian Draxler (Benfica) — €55,300 per week
Although he plays for Benfica on-loan from Paris Saint-Germain, Draxler is still one of the highest earners in Portugal.
In September 2022, Draxler joined Benfica on a season-long loan for a reported fee of €2.5 million.
It is unclear if PSG contributes to paying his salary, but it is believed that the German international earns around €55,300 per week at the club.
7. Rafa Silva (Benfica) — €48,000 per week
Rafa Silva is on of the highest paid players in Portugal, with a weekly salary of about ¢48,000.
The Benfica attacking midfielder has consistently been one of the best performers in the Portuguese top flight for a couple of seasons now.
The 29-year-old was in imperial form in the 2021/22 campaign dropping an incredible 16 assists and 8 goals to help his club finish third.
Rafa Silva is undoubtedly one of the best football players in the Portuguese League, his impeccable passing, playmaking capabilities, and composure make him worth his wages.
