Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Jr is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world at this moment in time, and so you would expect him to be paid a handsome salary at the Santiago Bernabeu.
At the age of just 24, Vinicius Jr has already won a lot of major trophies in his career, including three La Liga and two UEFA Champions League titles, two of which came in the 2023/24 season.
The winger scored a total of 24 goals and made a further 11 assists in 39 appearances over all competitions last campaign, and has now emerged as the favourite to win this year's Ballon d'Or. Here, we'll look at how his wages compare to his main rivals for this honour.
Vinicius Jr weekly wages: How much does the Ballon d'Or favourite earn?
After signing an improved four-year deal with Real Madrid in October 2023, Vinicius Jr earns roughly £17.4m per year according to Capology. That translates to around £1.34m per month and £335,000 per week.
Vinicius Jr is also entitled to nearly £3.5m per year in bonuses as additional earnings, and at 24 years old, there is still plenty of room for his salary to grow even more.
His salary makes him the joint-third highest earner with Los Blancos, alongside fellow Ballon d'Or contender Bellingham (also earning £335,000 per week). He is behind only Austrian central defender David Alaba (£360,000) and French superstar forward Kylian Mbappe (£500,000).
How much does Vinicius Jr earn compared to other Ballon d'Or nominees?
According to bookmakers, Vinicius Jr's four nearest challengers for the Ballon d'Or are (in descending order of likelihood to win) Manchester City and Spanish midfield rock Rodri, Vinicius Jr's Real teammates Bellingham and Dani Carvajal, and Barcelona's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
The second-favourite to win the Ballon d'Or, Rodri, currently takes home £220,000 per week at the Etihad Stadium, which is decidedly less than Vinicius Jr and Bellingham earn, even with City's highly-famed riches.
Real Madrid's third representative in the top-five contenders list for the Ballon d'Or, Carvajal, earns around £167,000 per week. Meanwhile, Yamal takes (by comparison) a very modest £33,500, though this will surely rise drastically after he turns 18. This ranks Vinicius Jr joint-first in terms of wages amongst the quintet.
Should he win his maiden Ballon d'Or as expected, and become the first Brazilian to lift the award since Kaka in 2007, Vinicius Jr should expect to see his income inflated even further. That could be through more sponsorship deals, a wider range of endorsements, or any other off-field marketing opportunities.
