Professional volleyball has recently risen to prominence as one of the most well-known sports in the world, bringing in millions through endorsements and commercial contracts. Even without taking into account sponsorships, awards, and other advantages, the highest-paid male athletes are still earning around three times the annual salary of a doctor. In this post, we’ll take you through the list of the highest-paid volleyball players in the world. Most of these top-earning players are also ranked among the richest volleyball players in the world.
Volleyball has turned out to be a highly popular game that was originally designed as a way for older men to stay active without the rigors of basketball. Do you still remember the year volleyball was invented? The game was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, three years after basketball was invented.
Today, volleyball players are some of the wealthiest professional athletes in sports as a result of the more expensive contracts they are receiving from clubs around the world.
Volleyball is one of the only sports where the highest-paid women make more than the highest-paid males, which is an intriguing fact.
Like in other sports, professional volleyball players dedicate a lot to entertaining the rest through this sport. Therefore, it is befitting for them to earn as much money as the best athletes in other sports. Below is the list of the top 10 highest-paid volleyball players in the world. This list is compiled based on the amount the player is paid per season, based on the most current information from our source.
Top 10 Highest-paid Volleyball Players in the World
1. Zhu Ting ($1.6 million/season)
Zhu Ting is a Chinese volleyball player. She plays outside for the national women’s volleyball team of China. As of the 2018–2019 season, she is also the highest-paid professional volleyball player in the world, male or female. She was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2018 FIVB World Cup tournament held in Japan. She now competes with Savino del Bene Scandicci in Italy.
Zhu Ting earned around $1.6 million a year playing for VakıfBank Istanbul, making her the highest-paid volleyball player in the world. Zhu Ting joined the Turkish League Champions team in 2016 and has since become one of the world’s top outside hitters. She is also the captain of the Chinese National Team. She reportedly has a net worth of $5 million, making her one of the richest volleyball players in the world.
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2. Wilfredo Leon ($1.4 million/season)
Wilfredo Leon is the highest-paid volleyball player in the world as of September 2022. With a salary of $1.4 million every season, he tops the list.
Wilfredo Leon is a Cuban–Polish volleyball player. He now plays for Sir Safety Perugia and the Polish national team. From 2007 to 2012, he was a member of the Cuban national team. He is regarded by many observers as one of the pioneers of the “Generation of Miracle” in Cuban volleyball.
Wilfredo, who is 29 years old, is one of the world’s wealthiest volleyball players and one of the game’s youngest professionals. He is now a star volleyball player for Sir Safety Perugia and has skyrocketed in fame.
3. Katerina Gamova ($1.4 million/season)
Katerina Gamova is a retired Russian volleyball player. She won gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championships and the silver medal in both the Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. At 6-feet 8-inches tall, she is one of the tallest female athletes in the world and was dubbed the “Queen of Volleyball.” Her role was outside hitter/opposite.
She has played with different clubs in the past but is currently with the Russian team Dinamo Kazan. Gamova gets approximately $1.4 million as an annual salary, making her third highest-paid volleyball player in the world.
4. Earvin N’Gapeth ($1.35 million/season)
With a season take-home package of $1.35 million, Earvin N’Gapeth is one of the highest-paid volleyball players in the world. N’Gapeth is also one of the richest volleyball players in the world.
The world’s richest volleyball team includes French sensation Earvin N’Gapeth, who earns $1.35 million annually. He has won a gold medal twice in the world leagues and helped his team win two each of the Italian Supercup and Italian Cup. N’Gapeth also won the Italian Championship in the 2015-2016 season. He joined the Russian team, Zenit Kazan, in 2018, where he rose to become one of the highest-paid volleyball players in the world.
Earvin N’Gapeth is synonymous with players who earn by both the game of volleyball and endorsements. He will undoubtedly be at the top of the list if we talk about a volleyball player who has made money from both endorsements and the game. At the age of 31, he is one of the top earners in the game of volleyball.
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5. Bartosz Kurek ($1.1 million/season)
With an earning of $1.1 million per season, Bartosz Kurek completes our list of the top 5 highest paid-paid volleyball players in the world. Kurek is also ranked among the world’s richest volleyball players.
Bartosz Kurek, a volleyball player from Poland who is 38 years old, competes for both a Turkish club team and the Polish national team. In his still very short career, he has won various medals and titles in addition to competing in the previous two Olympic Games (in 2012 and 2016). He just joined Vero Volley Monza in Italy, and his estimated net worth is $1.1 million.
Bartosz began by playing basketball, then switched to volleyball. At the FIVB Volleyball World League in 2012 and the European Volleyball Championships in 2009, he assisted his team in winning gold. He competed in the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016 and was honoured as the 2018 FIVB World Championship’s Best Scorer and MVP.
6. Logan Tom ($1 million/season)
Logan Lee Maile Tom played indoor and beach volleyball for the United States and is currently the head coach of the Israel women’s national volleyball team. She has participated in four Olympics and has taken home silver medals from the 2012 London and 2008 Beijing Games, respectively.
In October 2021, she was one of three people admitted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame together with Clay Stanley and Todd Rogers. She also received the Most Valuable Player honor in the 2004 FIVB World Grand Championship.
Tom, who had retired, was still among the wealthiest volleyball players in the world, with a yearly net worth of $1 million.
7. Robertlandy Simon ($967,000/season)
Cuba’s Robertlandy Simon ranks first among professional volleyball players with salaries below the $1 million mark. He has played for Al Rayyan, El Jaish and Copra Elior Piacenza and most recently for Cucine Lube Civitanova. Simon stands at six feet and ten inches tall. He has been captain of the Cuban national team for five years and won a silver medal at the 2010 World Volleyball Championship.
With an annual salary of $967, 000 Simon is one of the highest-paid volleyball players in the world.
8. Dmitriy Muserskiy ($950, 000/season)
Dmitriy is one of the highest-paid volleyball players in the world, earning $950, 000 per season.
Muserskiy is a Russian volleyball player of Ukrainian descent, who plays for the Russian national team and Japanese club, Suntory Sunbirds. At 7ft 2in tall, he is considered to be one of the tallest athletes in all professional sports. He has been playing since he was 8 and became an Olympic champion in 2012. His best position is as a middle blocker, and he has won multiple World League and FIVB World Cup medals.
Dmitriy Muserskiy’s salary is $950,000 as of 2022, making him of the top earners in volleyball.
9. Aleksandar Atanasijevichane ($920,000/season)
Aleksandar Atanasijevic is the richest Serbian volleyball player and is placed number 9th in the world’s top 10 highest-paid volleyball players. He competed in the 2012 Olympic Games and holds medals from leagues in Serbia, Italy, and Poland. He has previously played for Partizan and Skra Belchatow.
Atanasijevic is one of the world’s finest spikers. He is also one of the youngest players on this list of high-earners.
10. Gyorgy Grozer ($870,000/season)
Completing our list of the 10 richest volleyball players in the world is Gyorgy Grozer. Grozer earns about $870, 000 per season to earn a place on the list.
György Grozer is from Germany and of Hungarian descent. He plays for a Russian club team, but he plays for Germany internationally. Grozer is a dynamic and powerful hitter, and has the record for individual points during the Olympic games in 2012. He has played for about 16 teams since 1992 when he made his professional debut.
Summary
The top 10 highest-paid volleyball players in the world are:
- Zhu Ting ($1.6 million/season)
- Wilfredo Leon ($1.4 million/season)
- Katerina Gamova ($1.4 million/season)
- Earvin N’Gapeth ($1.35 million/season)
- Bartosz Kurek ($1.1 million/season)
- Logan Tom ($1 million/season)
- Robertlandy Simon ($967,000/season)
- Dmitriy Muserskiy ($950, 000/season)
- Aleksandar Atanasijevichane ($920,000/season)
- Gyorgy Grozer ($870,000/season)
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