The Biggest Futsal Pro Leagues in Europe
- Chester Khangelani Mbekela
- Oct 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 26
Futsal- the alternative to conventional professional 11-a-side football(soccer)- has seen an incredible amount of growth over the past two decades. Players belonging to this code of football have been known to experience commercial success, somewhat similar to their peers plying their trade in the 11-man game. Sports business wise, the game seems to be generating substantial revenue within the European football markets and continues to attract players from across the globe. Within this blog, we explore the game's biggest futsal markets as well as who the top five highest players are.
These are among Europe’s most important and competitive professional futsal leagues, with strong teams, good infrastructure, good fan interest, and international achievement:
League | Country(ies) | What makes it big / what to watch out for |
LNFS (Liga Nacional de Fútbol Sala) | Spain | Often considered the gold standard. Clubs like Barça, Inter Movistar, Córdoba, etc. Very competitive, strong UEFA Futsal Champions League presence; high standard of players and coaching. |
Serie A Futsal | Italy | Strong league, growing investment. Clubs like Acqua & Sapone, Italservice Pesaro attract good talent. Italians produce strong national team performances. |
Futsal Super League / Futsal Champion Nation Leagues (Portugal) | Portugal | Sporting CP, Benfica regularly perform well in Europe. Good development of youth; strong domestic fan base. |
Russian Futsal Super League | Russia (historically strong, though political issues & sanctions have disrupted international participation) | High salaries for top players; strong clubs that compete deeply in European competitions. |
Kazakhstan Futsal League | Kazakhstan / Central Asia (with European alignment in UEFA) | Clubs like Kairat; often bring in international stars; solid financial backing; important for bridging Europe & Asia. |
Other notable leagues: Ukraine, France, Belarus, Czech Republic, etc. But the above are often considered the top 5 in terms of level, exposure, salaries, and competitiveness.
Top 5 Highest-Paid Futsal Players (World)
Here are some of the top futsal players in terms of pay, based on available data (often from “listicle” sites, journalistic estimates, not always confirmed by clubs). Figures are approximate.
Rank | Player | Estimated Salary / Earnings | Notes |
1. Ricardinho (Portugal) | ~ €400,000/year | Often cited as the highest-paid futsal player; legendary status, many years of top performance. (FutsalAll) | |
2. Ferrao (Brazil / Barcelona Futsal) | ~ €400,000/year | Another top talent; prolific scorer, big contract at Barcelona. (FutsalAll) | |
3. Sergio Lozano (Spain) | ~ €700,000/year | Some sources list him among highest paid due to club & achievements. (Note: higher estimate but less confirmation) (Reddit) | |
4. Leo Higuita (Colombia / Sporting CP) | ~ €200,000/year | Top goalkeeper; paid well among keepers. (FutsalAll) | |
5. Kike Boned (Spain, ElPozo Murcia) | ~ €350,000/year | Veteran player, defender, respected and compensated accordingly. (FutsalAll) |
Caveats:
These are rough estimates — public reports sometimes contradict each other or are out of date.
Contracts often include bonuses, image rights, sponsorships etc., which may not be included in base salary estimates.
Exchange rates and cost of living differ greatly, so “€700,000/year” in futsal is not always comparable to football salaries.
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Do Futsal Players Cross Over Well into 11-Man Soccer?
My Opinionated Analogy
Think of futsal and 11-a-side soccer like sprint vs. marathon: both require running, skill, and tactical thinking, but the pace, space, and stamina needed are very different. Futsal is tight, fast, technical; 11-a-side allows more space, endurance, aerial play, physical duels.
So: yes, futsal helps build excellent core skills (touch, quick decision-making, spatial awareness, creativity), but crossing over to 11-a-side soccer isn’t guaranteed — it depends on physical adaptation, position, mentality, opportunity, and coaching.
Examples of Futsal Players Who Excelled in 11-A-Side
Here are a few players who started (or partly played) futsal, then made big impacts in regular soccer:
Ricardinho actually mostly stayed in futsal, but his skills are the benchmark.
Falcão (Brazil) played futsal almost his whole career; he made small stints but did not become a top 11-a-side star.
Many Brazilian & Portuguese young players grow up playing futsal (Pelé, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho are often cited as having futsal roots, though official records vary). The close control, dribbling, and quick passing from futsal helped them develop technical excellence.
Luis Figo and Rivaldo are often mentioned in interviews as having played indoor/futsal in youth, which helped their technical development in 11-a-side.
Final Thoughts & Trends
Futsal leagues are growing in Europe, both in infrastructure and in financial capacity. Leagues like Spain’s LNFS, Portugal’s, Italy’s are pushing more sponsorship, broadcast, and professionalization.
Salaries for top futsal stars are impressive, but still far below top footballers in 11-a-side. But as futsal’s exposure (TV, streaming, social media) increases, there's potential growth.
For young players: playing futsal early can be a major advantage for technical development, but success in 11-a-side still requires physicality, position specialization, and often exposure to football clubs with strong youth academies.
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