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Top 10 Highest-Paid MLS Players Revealed, Gareth Bale And David Beckham Do Not Feature

Top 10 Highest-Paid MLS Players Revealed, Gareth Bale And David Beckham Do Not Feature

The top ten highest-paid MLS players based on base salary have been revealed.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

The top 10-highest paid players in the history of the MLS has been revealed, with plenty of marquee signings featuring in the star-studded list.

The top tier of football in the United States has become something of a retirement home for many stars winding down on their career in the game but still looking to be paid well and playing competitively in front of large crowds.

David Beckham is the biggest star to play in the MLS and was then able to negotiate owning a franchise in his deal.

With this list, Beckham is ruled out because it involves base wages - but according to Forbes, the former England skipper made $250 million over five years across the pond.

His deal allowed him to take a percentage of Galaxy's revenue and that brought him a cool $50 million.

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy

Gareth Bale, fresh from signing for Galaxy's rivals Los Angeles FC, misses out. The Wales captain has reportedly taken a £27.5 million pay cut to move to the states, with his one-year deal including a salary of $1.3 million.

That figure is relatively small in terms of MLS wages, with fellow Brits Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard earning annual salaries of $6.2 million and $6 million respectively.

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy

Michael Bradley of Toronto FC is the highest-paid American in MLS history, with yearly salary of $6 million.

Household names Bastian Schweinsteiger ($6.1 million), Kaka ($6.66 million), Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($7.2 million) and Xherdan Shaqiri ($7.5 million) are all among the best-paid in MLS history.

But the highest earner will be the latest high-profile acquisition. Officially unveiled this week, Italy international Lorenzo Insigne has signed a four-year deal with Toronto FC and will earn $12.42 million per year - moving ahead of Shaqiri.

Image: Alamy
Image: Alamy

Top 10 highest-paid players in MLS history in full:

10 - Jermain Defoe - $6 million

9 - Michael Bradley - $6 million

8 - Frank Lampard - $6 million

7 - Javier Hernandez - $6 million 

6 - Bastian Schweinsteiger - $6.1 million

5 - Steven Gerrard - $6.2 million

4 - Kaka - $6.6 million

3 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic - $7.2 million

2 - Xherdan Shaqiri - $7.35 million

1 - Lorenzo Insigne - $12.42 million

Featured Image Credit: Image: Alamy

Topics: David Beckham, MLS

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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