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

Josh Lawless

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

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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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

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9 - Michael Bradley - $6 million

8 - Frank Lampard - $6 million

7 - Javier Hernandez - $6 million 

6 - Bastian Schweinsteiger - $6.1 million

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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
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