Ever wondered how much international superstars make after signing for MLS teams? Sure, it is nowhere close to what Lionel Messi makes, ~$1.4 million per week, or Cristiano Ronaldo, ~$57 million per year, but it is still an attractive seven-figure number either way.
Messi brings in all this money, yet he still fails with paying taxes. Photo: @gsnme2011 | Twitter
Orlando City and former FIFA World Player of the Year midfielder Kaka is guaranteed $7,167,500 this year with Sebastian Giovinco close behind him with $7,115,555.67 in 2015.
The MLS has released every players base salary and guaranteed compensation which can be seen here.
Giovani Dos Santos, Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, and Steven Gerrard all follow behind the two top earners of the MLS with compensation wages of anywhere between 4 and 7 million. The highest earning American in the league is the current captain of the United States, Michael Bradley, who averages $6.5 million per year.
Gerrard and Lampard are among the top earning players in the MLS. Photo: @haydnmcfc | Twitter
The big paychecks are a good sign though. The MLS is becoming a more popular franchise and the sport of soccer is rising in America which not only improves revenue, but the future of the national team. At one point, Messi made more in a single year than every player in the MLS combined. Soon, we could see players in Major League Soccer rival the biggest players in Europe for wages.
