How much does a Major League Soccer player earn?
The median Major League Soccer player earns £7,100 a week — £369,200 a year — across the 563 senior players at 30 clubs whose wages we hold. The mean is £14,158.
The Designated Player rule is visible in the data: Robert Lewandowski on £432,000 earns 60.8 times the league median of £7,100, and a quarter of senior players are on £2,600 or less.
What a Major League Soccer player actually earns
Senior players by weekly wage band
A quarter earn £2,600 or less, half earn £7,100 or less, and a tenth clear £23,000. The lowest senior wage we hold is £280.
Every Major League Soccer club, by median wage
The middle senior earner at each club — not the wage bill
The 20 best paid in Major League Soccer
Weekly wage, senior players
| # | Player | Weekly | Yearly | Club | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Robert Lewandowski | £432,000 | £22,464,000 | Chicago Fire FC | 36 |
| 02 | Casemiro | £300,000 | £15,600,000 | Inter Miami CF | 33 |
| 03 | Antoine Griezmann | £232,000 | £12,064,000 | Orlando City SC | 34 |
| 04 | Lionel Messi | £222,000 | £11,544,000 | Inter Miami CF | 38 |
| 05 | Rodrigo De Paul | £170,000 | £8,840,000 | Inter Miami CF | 31 |
| 06 | Heung-Min Son | £159,000 | £8,268,000 | Los Angeles Football Club | 33 |
| 07 | Sergio Busquets | £125,000 | £6,500,000 | Inter Miami CF | 36 |
| 08 | Miguel Almirón | £112,000 | £5,824,000 | Atlanta United FC | 31 |
| 09 | Tadeo Allende | £111,000 | £5,772,000 | Inter Miami CF | 26 |
| 10 | Hirving Lozano | £109,000 | £5,668,000 | LA Galaxy | 29 |
| 11 | Emil Forsberg | £88,000 | £4,576,000 | New York Red Bulls | 33 |
| 12 | Jordi Alba | £85,000 | £4,420,000 | Inter Miami CF | 36 |
| 13 | Riqui Puig | £80,000 | £4,160,000 | LA Galaxy | 25 |
| 14 | Jonathan Bamba | £79,000 | £4,108,000 | Chicago Fire FC | 29 |
| 15 | Hany Mukhtar | £77,000 | £4,004,000 | Nashville SC | 30 |
| 16 | Alexey Miranchuk | £73,000 | £3,796,000 | Atlanta United FC | 29 |
| 17 | Christian Benteke | £72,000 | £3,744,000 | D.C. United | 34 |
| 18 | Timo Werner | £71,000 | £3,692,000 | San Jose Earthquakes | 29 |
| 19 | Jack Harrison | £70,000 | £3,640,000 | New England Revolution | 28 |
| 20 | Evander | £69,000 | £3,588,000 | FC Cincinnati | 27 |
By position
Average weekly wage, senior players
By age
Average weekly wage — every age we hold, not just seniors
How that compares
Median senior wage, the leagues we have published so far
Where these numbers come from
Averages count only players aged 22 and over. Our squad lists run down to academy age — the Major League Soccer carries 769 players, of whom 565 are senior — and averaging all of them measures how deep a club's youth data goes rather than what the league pays. The median is the figure to quote: the mean is pulled upwards by a small number of very large contracts, and on this page the two differ by £7,058.
Frequently asked questions
Major League Soccer wages
How much does the average Major League Soccer player earn?
The median is £7,100 a week (£369,200 a year) and the mean is £14,158, taken across the 563 players aged 22 or over whose wages we hold. The median is the better answer: a small number of very large contracts pull the mean above what a typical player earns.
Who is the highest paid player in Major League Soccer?
Robert Lewandowski of Chicago Fire FC, on £432,000 a week — £22,464,000 a year.
What does the lowest paid Major League Soccer player earn?
The lowest senior wage we hold in Major League Soccer is £280 a week. A quarter of the division earns £2,600 or less.
Which Major League Soccer club pays the best?
Inter Miami CF, on a median senior wage of £13,000 a week. Sporting Kansas City has the lowest at £3,850.
Why do these figures only count players aged 22 and over?
Our squad lists run down to academy age — the Major League Soccer carries 769 players, of whom 565 are aged 22 and over. Averaging all of them measures how deep a club's youth data goes rather than what the league pays, and it is not comparable between leagues, so every average here is taken over senior players only.
More reading
- How much does a Premier League player earn?
- How much does a Championship player earn?
- How much does a League One player earn?
- How much does a League Two player earn?
- How much does a Bundesliga player earn?
- How much does a Saudi Pro League player earn?
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- How much are football referees paid?