It’s well known that English Premier League and La Liga players get paid a hefty amount, but it is now as well known how much those in Major League Soccer (MLS) get paid.
It is always an interesting subject for us norms (speaking for myself) to know how much athletes get paid, especially in major sports like soccer and football. Of course, it doesn’t matter how much they are getting paid, it's always about the love for the job.
The MLS is growing and improving as the seasons go on, making it a new dream job to play for an MLS team, and the salary average increasing.
We have researched how much Major League Soccer players get paid as base salary per annum, from Xherdan Shaqiri to DarrenYapi, so we have decided to compile a few MLS salaries to get the basic idea.
Lorenzo Insigne - $7,432,156.00
Lorenzo Insigne is an Italian footballer for Toronto FC, where he plays as a midfielder. Insigne is currently the highest-paid player in the league.
Insigne joined Toronto from Napoli in 2022 where he made 337 appearances and 96 goals. He also helped Italy win the UEFA Euros in 2020. The MLS hopes to see more players of his quality improve the league and its reputation.
Xherdan Shaqiri - $7,350,000.00
Xherdan Shaqiri is a Swiss soccer player that plays for Chicago Fire as a midfielder/winger.
The Swiss player has been all over the globe, starting his career in his home county at FC Basel, he then moved on to Bayern Munich where he made a total of 52 appearances. He has also seen the likes of Inter Milan, Liverpool, and Lyon.
Javier Hernandez - $6,000,000.00
Javier Hernandez is a Mexican striker that currently plays for LA Galaxy.
Hernandez started his career in Mexico but was soon spotted by Manchester United in 2010, he then moved onto Real Madrid on loan, and he later played for Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham, and Sevilla.
Hernandez has now been with the LA Galaxy for almost 3 years, at the time of his signing, he was the highest-paid player in the league.
Victor Wanyama - $2,400,000.00
Victor Wanyama is a Kenyan midfielder for CF Montreal. He is Kenyan to score in the UEFA Champions League, which took place when playing Celtic in 2012 against Barcelona.
Wanyama’'s career mainly occurred in Britain, where he played for Celtic, Southampton, and Tottenham Hotspur, his previous team.
In 2021, Wanyama helped the Canadian Team, Montreal win the Canadian Championship against Toronto FC.
Luquinhas - $1,050,000.00
Lucas Lima Linahres, also known as Luquinhas is a Brazilian soccer player who currently plays for the New York Red Bulls.
Luqinhas hasn’t been with the club for long but has helped the team advance to round 16 in the 2022 U.S Open Cup and later score a goal in the quarterfinals. The NY Red Bulls were then knocked out of the cup when they lost 5-1 against Orlando City.
Bobby Wood - $925,000.000
Bobby Wood is an American striker that plays for Real Salt Lake, he has only been at the club for a year and made 34 appearances with 6 goals.
Woods's career has centered around German teams such as 1860 Munich, Union Berlin, Hamburger SV, and Hannover 96.
Alejandro Bedoya - $900,000.00
Alejandro Bedoya is an American midfielder that currently plays for Philadelphia Union as a midfielder.
Bedoya has been at the club since 2016 but before that, he played for the Scottish team Rangers F.C, Helsingborgs IF, and FC Nantes.
In 2020, he signed a contract extension with Union, with a club option for 2022, but would no longer be a designated player. Surprising since his 2020 season at the club was very successful, he helped the team reach the semi-finals of the MLS is Back tournament and finished with the best league record of the season, earning the club's first trophy, the 2020 Supporters’ Shield.
This month, Bedoya signed a new contract with the club through the 2023 season.
DeAndre Yedlin - $800,000.00
DeAndre Yedlin is an American footballer that currently represents Inter Miami in the MLS. Although he hasn’t always played in the MLS, he started his career at the Seattle Sounders which helped him progress to the Premier League where he played for Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, and Newcastle United.
Jacori Hayes - $190,000.00
Jacori Hayes is an American international who plays for Minnesota United, he has played since 2020.
Hayes’ career has always been based in the US, he started his career at the Portland Timbers and moved on to the likes of D.C. United, FC Dallas, and North Texas SC.
Xavier Valdez - $65,500.00
Xavier Valdez is a Dominican that plays for Houston Dynamo as a substitute Goalkeeper.
Valdez is one of the lowest-paid players in the league, although at 18 years old, earning $65,500 a year is impressive, and his guaranteed compensation is $75,211.
It is clear to see there that player salaries vary, with the highest salary being $7.4 million and the minimum salary being $65,500. The reasoning clearly depends on the player's experience and what they bring to the table, however the average salary for MLS players is $312,470.
