Premier League's highest paid player each season from 1992 to 2022

The astronomical earnings of Premier League footballers are now so common knowledge that figures such as £200,000 per-week hardly come as a shock anymore.

But factor in the fact that the average UK salary is £31,285 and you start to get a grasp on just how much our footballing heroes pocket for their on-pitch efforts. Though the dynamic of those at the top of the sport earning more than the average worker on the street has long been the case, the kind of earnings currently being seen are a huge increase from even the start of the Premier League-era.

Some clubs have undergone new ownership and as a result found themselves backed by Saudi investment funds or Russian Oligarchs, in turn allowing them to flex their financial muscles and promise the game's best players the most lucrative wages.

The figure that has earned a certain player the title of 'highest-paid Premier League star' has increased nearly every single year but the contrast from the inaugural campaign to present day almost defies description.

Mirror Football has taken a look at the highest earning player from each Premier League season, revealing how much they were pocketing and whether they ended up proving their worth on the pitch in the process.

The Liverpool legend made history when he became the first British player to receive £10,000-per-week when he joined the Reds way back in 1987. Though he arrived at Anfield five years before the eventual inception of the Premier League, he remained on those wages during a hugely transitional period for English football.

Barnes' salary sent shockwaves through the game in its own right, especially given that at the time the average annual wage of a Premier League player was just £77,000. The Liverpool hero