Cesinha leads K League in 2025 player salaries

Daegu FC foreign player Cesinha, 36, of Brazil, has become the first player in K League history to earn an annual salary exceeding 2 billion won.

On Dec. 30, the Korea Professional Football League released salary figures for the 2025 season covering players from 11 K League 1 clubs and 14 K League 2 clubs. The disclosed amounts include base pay as well as bonuses linked to appearances, victories, and other performance-based incentives. Compensation from K League matches, the Korea Cup, and Asian Football Confederation club competitions was also included.

Cesinha earned 2.1 billion won this year, ranking first among all K League players in total salary. Since the league began disclosing player salary data in 2013, this marks the first time a player has surpassed the 2 billion won threshold. Last year, he earned 1.73 billion won, placing second behind Seoul’s Lingard, 33, of England, who earned 1.82 billion won. This year’s figure makes Cesinha the league’s highest-paid player for the fourth time, following previous tops in 2020, 2021, and 2023. Lingard earned 1.95 billion won this season, ranking second behind Cesinha.

Among South Korean players, the highest salary went to Jeonbuk Motors’ Lee Seung-woo, 27, who earned 1.59 billion won and ranked third overall behind Cesinha and Lingard. Last year, Lee ranked fourth among domestic players with 1.35 billion won. His key role in Jeonbuk’s K League 1 title and Korea Cup victory helped propel him to the top spot among Korean players this season. Ulsan HD players Kim Young-gwon, 35, and Cho Hyun-woo, 34, earned 1.48 billion won and 1.46 billion won, respectively, ranking second and third among domestic players.

In total club payroll, Ulsan led the league with expenditures of 20.65 billion won, followed by Jeonbuk at 20.14141 billion won. Among the 11 K League 1 clubs, excluding military-run Gimcheon Sangmu, Anyang recorded the lowest total payroll at 7.09 billion won.


김정훈기자 hun@donga.com