Matthijs de Ligt: Dutch star is highest earning defender in the world- Matthijs de Ligt is the highest-paid defender on the planet - The Dutch star's earning stands on a mouth-watering figure of £416,000-a-week - Surprisingly, Virgil van Dijk and Sergio Ramos could not make the first five list despite their stellar form Matthijs de Ligt has emerged the highest-paid defender in the world with the Dutch star's earning with Juventus standing on the staggering figure of £416,000-a-week. The 20-year-old defender joined the Italian champions in the last summer for €70 million after a stellar performance with the Dutch champions Ajax. De Ligt was unarguably instrumental to Ajax winning the Dutch league and was a pivotal figure as Erik ten Hag's men ran a Champions League campaign till the semi-final stage. The young prodigy has now eased past through sensational defenders like Sergio Ramos and Vigil van Dijk to come atop the pile on the list. Legendary PSG defender Thiago Silva is the second on the list with a huge earning of £300,000-a-week, while Lucas Hernandez booked the third place on the list. Recommended for you "Juju dey follow him oga footsteps": Israel DMW joins Davido to delete all... The Bayern Munich defender's earning figure is standing on the mouth-watering figure of £250,000-a-week. Next to Frenchman is Barcelona Gerard Pique whose earning stands on a towering figure of £220,000-a-week. PSG defence ace Marquinhos £216,000-week closed the first five-man list with the Brazilian's earning worth a £216,000-week. Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti is the 6th man on the list with a six-figure earning of £210,000-a-week. Surprisingly, Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk is the 7th man on the list with £200,000-a-week, while defence ace Sergio Ramos came on the 8th spot with £200,000-a-week. Marcelo is the second Real Madrid star on the list with the Brazilian coming on the 9th spot with a six-figure earning of £200,000-a-week. Manchester United world-record signing Harry Maguire is the 10th man on the list with a staggering earning of £190,000-a-week. PAY ATTENTION: Become a member of the leading sports Facebook group 'Naija Football Fan Zone Recommended for you 2023 presidential polls: How Nigeria's cyberspace suffered 12.9 million att... Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Lionel Messi has overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo and other football stars on the planet to top the list of the highest-paid footballers in 2020. The Barcelona star does not only come top of the pile, his earning worth a staggering €8.3m gross per month almost doubled that of his Portuguese arch-rival. This may be so because the Argentine hitman is the best player on the planet right now having won the coveted Ballon d'Or honour for the sixth-time record. Amokachi twins: Why we dumped Besiktas for Kwara United | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - Matthijs de Ligt is the highest-paid defender on the planet - The Dutch star's earning stands on a mouth-watering figure of £416,000-a-week - Surprisingly, Virgil van Dijk and Sergio Ramos could not make the first five list despite their stellar form PAY ATTENTION: Legit.ng Amokachi twins: Why we dumped Besiktas for Kwara United