Aston Villa star winger Leon Bailey tops the list of highest-paid Jamaican footballers in the English Premier League (EPL) this year.
The Reggae Boyz star now earns £6.2 million per year as his base salary from Aston Villa. That amount could be higher with added performance bonuses, according to British media outlets. That translates to Leon Bailey being one of the highest-paid ballers for Aston Villa, earning a weekly salary of £120,000, following his latest negotiated contract in February 2024.
That figure translates to J$1,191,566,220 or roughly $1.2 billion in local Jamaican currency as the exchange rate fluctuates. The 27-year-old joins Aston Villa from Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 2021 and has since cemented his place in the English Premier League team squad as their prolific right winger.
Leon Bailey had perhaps his best season for the 23/24 season, which saw him net 10 goals and 9 assists for the club, helping Aston Villa finish 4th in the English Premier League table and playing in this season’s Champions League football for the first time since the European league was rebranded in 1992.
So it’s safe to say that Leon Bailey deserves every penny he is being paid to play at Villa Park.
The second highest-paid Jamaican footballer in England is West Ham striker Michail Antonio, who earns £85,000 per week and £4,160,000 annually to score goals for the EPL club. Leicester City’s forward Bobby Reid earns £35,000 per week from the club and £1,820,000. Another Jamaican top-flight footballer in EPL, Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock, is earning £1,560,000 annually and £30,000 per week.
More Jamaicans are looking to move up the ranks and play football in Europe, including Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards, who is signed to Chelsea FC at age 18, signaling that Jamaican youths are inspired to play football in Europe’s biggest leagues.
In the meantime, Leon Baily is expected to return to Aston Villa’s starting lineup for their crucial clash against Arsenal on Saturday. The winger was rested for Villa’s game against Everton this week, which they won 1 nil.
