Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world. Professional players not only achieve memorable milestones in their careers but also accumulate significant fortunes thanks to this sport.
Currently, there are several factors that influence the salary of volleyball players. Contracts with professional clubs are the main source of income. These contracts often come with performance bonuses and additional benefits.
Sponsorship from clubs and teams also plays an important role. Prize money from international tournaments and competitions also helps volleyball players increase their income.
The highest paid players in the world are often from developed volleyball backgrounds such as France, Poland, Cuba...
Recently, Volleyball.com.ng has released a list of the highest paid athletes in history.
In the men's category, it is not surprising that Wilfredo Leon is the leader of the list. The 1993-born player nicknamed "million dollar deal" is considered the highest-paid player in the world with 1.4 million USD/season (about 36 billion VND).
This is completely commensurate with the talent of the male player currently playing for LUK Lublin (Poland). He once set a record for a ball cut of up to 3m81 at the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in 2020; many times had an impressive series of direct points or a super-speed serve of 138km/h...
Ranked 2nd on this list is Earvin N'Gapeth (France). He currently plays for the Fenerbahce Medicana team. Mentioning this male player is mentioning a special move called the 180-degree rotation attack. Although many people have performed it, this is considered this star's own trademark.
The powerful serves, the 180-degree spins to hit the ball... make fans call Earvin a volleyball "magician". He is rumored to have a salary of 1.350 million USD/season (about 34 billion VND).
Third on the list is Bartosz Kurek, who plays for ZAKSA Kedzierzyn Kozle (Poland). His salary is said to be 1.1 million USD/season (about 28 billion VND).
He has been the star of the Polish national team for over a decade. At 36, Kurek's powerful shots and consistent form still keep him among the highest-paid volleyball players in the world.
In the list above from Volleyball.com.ng, there are no female athletes. This is completely understandable because in the world, men's volleyball receives a lot of attention. The recognition of male players is also quite wide for famous clubs and teams.
The only female player mentioned as the highest paid female player in history is Yekaterina Gamova with a salary of 1.4 million USD/season (about 36 billion VND) when she was playing football at her peak.
As one of the tallest female players in the world, playing the opposite position, Gamova is nicknamed "Queen of Volleyball". She helped the Russian women's volleyball team win gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 World Championships and silver medals at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Yekaterina Gamova retired in 2020 at the age of 35.
The highest paid volleyball players in the world are proof that the sport has grown and become popular.
In Vietnam, in the past 2-3 years, with the impressive achievements of the national women's team, the players have received more attention and investment. This is also a condition for them to continue to compete with peace of mind and contribute to Vietnamese volleyball.
