Major League Soccer (MLS) since David Beckham joined LA Galaxy in 2007 has seen some of the biggest footballing players coming to the league. In the last few years not only some of the biggest players have joined the MLS they have also received some of the highest-earning contracts. The contracts include a mix of high-profile acquisitions, designated players, and homegrown stars that have drawn a lot of interest and funding.
These deals show how the league is developing and how it can draw in top players from around the globe, and they also highlight how popular and competitive American football is becoming. Future seasons are likely to bring about even more eye-catching agreements as the league develops and grows.
Here are some of the highest-earning MLS contracts of all time:
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Frank Lampard ($6 million)
2014 saw MLS announce that Lampard would join the newest member, New York City FC. David Villa and Lampard were the franchise’s two faces as it started its professional career in New York. The midfielder played 31 games in all competitions during his two seasons with New York, scoring 15 goals. His acquisition is thought to be the worst MLS acquisition in history.
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Jermaine Defoe ($6 million)
In January 2013, the 40-year-old former England and Tottenham striker crushed the dreams of local clubs vying for his services by accepting a spectacular four-year offer to relocate to Canada. Before joining Sunderland in the Premier League, he only played one season in the MLS, scoring 11 goals in 19 games.
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Michael Bradley ($6 million)
In 2013–14, he rose to become one of the top midfielders in the world. He is known as “Il Generale” in Italy. The signing of Bradley was a huge victory for MLS as it moved in the correct direction. He has significantly reduced his pay since he arrived to support Toronto FC. Currently serving as Toronto FC’s captain is the 36-year-old. He has remained reliable over the nine seasons that he has played for the Canadian team.
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Javier Hernandez ($6.1 million)
One of the best super subs to ever play in Europe was Javier Hernandez, also known as “Chicharito,” who scored numerous match-winning goals for both Manchester United and Real Madrid under different coaches. Hernandez joined the LA Galaxy in 2020, and since then has netted a tonne of goals for David Beckham’s previous team. He also serves as the team’s captain.
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Bastian Schweinsteiger ($6.1 million)
After playing for Manchester United for two seasons under Jose Mourinho, where he won the Europa League, and at that time, the renowned German midfielder, who had a career to remember, joined Chicago Fire in 2017. The all-around capable German international played with the Chicago Fire for three years until announcing his retirement in 2019.
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Steven Gerrard ($6.2 million)
Before moving to the MLS in 2015, Gerrard spent 17 seasons at Liverpool, making more than 700 games and scoring 185 goals in all competitions. In 144 appearances for England, he also scored 21 goals. After playing for the LA Galaxy for two years, Gerrard decided to retire from club football, following in the footsteps of Lampard and Beckham.
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Federico Bernardeschi ($6.3 million)
Federico Bernardeschi, a winger who represents Italy internationally, joined Toronto FC as a designated player until 2026. He presently teams up with another Italian teammate Lorenzo Insigne, who also transferred to MLS from the Italian side Napoli. Toronto cannot afford to maintain the Italian, who has indicated a willingness to return to his native country. Since his debut in 2022, he has been a consistent player. This season, he has participated in 21 games and has scored three goals.
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Kaka ($6.6 million)
Legendary Brazilian player Kaka spent three MLS seasons with Orlando City; he joined the team in 2014, ahead of the 2015 MLS Season, which kicks off in January and rose to the position of the highest-paid player in MLS history. In his three seasons in Orlando, Kaka played in 75 league games, tallying 24 goals and 22 assists.
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($7.2 million)
The Swedish forward, who spent 18 months with Manchester United in the Premier League before being incapacitated by a significant knee injury that prevented him from competing in the Europa League that United won in 2017, came to the United States in 2018.
He played for two seasons, contributing to more than 50 goals. He left the squad after two years as one of the most exciting players in MLS. In his final tweet, Zlatan said, “I came, I saw, and I conquered.”
I came, I saw, I conquered. Thank you @lagalaxy for making me feel alive again. To the Galaxy fans – you wanted Zlatan, I gave you Zlatan. You are welcome. The story continues…Now go back to watch baseball pic.twitter.com/kkL6B6dJBr
— Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official) November 13, 2019
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Xherdan Shaqiri ($7.35 million)
He has made 421 appearances in all competitions since his professional debut in 2009 and has taken home 17 major medals during that time. The offensive midfielder has also played in three consecutive FIFA World Cups (2010, 2014, and 2018), earning 100 caps for Switzerland’s senior national team. The midfielder was transferred from Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais to Chicago Fire FC. Shaqiri is a designated player for the Fire and was the most expensive transfer acquisition in the organisation’s history.
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Lorenzo Insigne ($14 million)
Italian-born professional footballer Insigne Cavaliere is a winger for Toronto FC of Major League Soccer. Before moving to the MLS, he played for Napoli in Italy for roughly eight years. Only Messi now has the best wage base in MLS; the Italian joined the MLS team to become the league’s highest-paid player; he has since taken a pay cut but still has the highest base salary.
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Lionel Messi ($54 million)
Of course, Lionel Messi is in first place. Messi is now among the wealthiest footballers in MLS history after joining Inter Miami, and to be fair to Messi, you can’t argue he doesn’t deserve it, can you? His decision to join MLS and play for one of the top teams in the league shocked everyone because he was being pursued by clubs from Saudi Arabia. Of course, Barcelona were also interested in reuniting with the Little Magician.
Also Read: Premier League: All-time top goal-scoring mid-fielders
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