The Champions League returned last week and Europe's elite competition has already thrown up some surprises.

Premier League pair Liverpool and Chelsea suffered defeats to Napoli and Valencia, while Paris Saint-Germain battered Real Madrid and Barcelona drew with Borussia Dortmund. 

Juventus and Atletico Madrid also played out an exciting 2-2 draw - it certainly wasn't a bad round of matches to kick off the competition. 

Every year, the best players in the world compete in the Champions League - and naturally, many of them command very handsome wages. 

But who are the highest-paid players in this season's competition? Check out a list of the top 25 and their yearly salaries - based on data from Capology - below. 

25 - Gonzalo Higuain - £12.29m
24 - Thomas Muller - £13.23m
23 - Manuel Neuer - £13.27m
22 - Robert Lewandowski - £14.1m
21 - Karim Benzema - £14.63m
20 - James Rodriguez - £14.69m
19 - Thiago Silva - £14.8m
18 - Edinson Cavani - £16.3m
17 - Luka Modric - £16.48m
16 - Kylian Mbappe - £16.49m
15 - Marcelo - £17.7m 
14 - Toni Kroos - £17.7m
13 - Sergio Ramos - £17.7m
12 - Kevin de Bruyne - £18.2m
11 - Luka Jovic - £18.4m 
10 - Frenkie de Jong - £18.41m
9 - Jan Oblak - £18.41m
8 - Luis Suarez - £20.71m
7 - Philippe Coutinho - £21.68m
6- Gareth Bale - £24.72
5 - Eden Hazard - £27.7m
4 - Neymar - £32.48
3 - Antoine Griezmann - £40.53m
2 - Cristiano Ronaldo - £50.8m
1 - Lionel Messi - £62.6m 

There's some serious money being pocketed by these stars. Unsurprisingly, Messi and Ronaldo command the highest wages in the competition - which is more than fair. 

But it's interesting to see young stars like Jovic and De Jong so high on the list. Real Madrid and Barca clearly trust their stars of the future. 

The Champions League is seen as the holy grail for so many clubs - so it's no surprise to see them splashing the cash to keep their top players happy.   

Yet, not a single member of Liverpool's Champions League winning squad is amongst the highest paid in this season's tournament. The Reds are clearly doing something right.