MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Major League Soccer defenders
Jordi Alba is the best-paid defender in Major League Soccer, on £85,000 a week at Inter Miami CF, or £4,420,000 a year. Nicolás Fernández Mercau is next on £51,000 at New York City FC. We hold wages for 292 Major League Soccer defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £85k
AVERAGE WAGE £7,805
SHARE OF WAGE BILL19%
TOP 10 A WEEK £334k
WAGES HELD292
The 50 best-paid Major League Soccer defenders
Weekly wage, 2026/27. A player who plays in two areas of the pitch is on both lists, at the full wage.
| # | PLAYER | WEEKLY | YEARLY | CLUB | AGE | POSITION | NATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordi Alba | £85,000£85k | £4,420,000£4.4m | Inter Miami CF | 36 | Left-back | Spain |
| 2 | Nicolás Fernández Mercau | £51,000£51k | £2,652,000£2.7m | New York City FC | 25 | Left-back, attacking midfielder | Argentina |
| 3 | Sergi Roberto | £35,000£35k | £1,820,000£1.8m | LA Galaxy | 33 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Spain |
| 4 | Andreas Hanche-Olsen | £28,000£28k | £1,456,000£1.5m | Chicago Fire FC | 28 | Centre-back | Norway |
| 5 | Thiago Martins | £28,000£28k | £1,456,000£1.5m | New York City FC | 30 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 6 | Enea Mihaj | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | Atlanta United FC | 27 | Centre-back | Albania |
| 7 | Junior Alonso | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | Atlanta United FC | 32 | Centre-back | Paraguay |
| 8 | Miles Robinson | £22,000£22k | £1,144,000£1.1m | FC Cincinnati | 28 | Centre-back | United States |
| 9 | Matt Miazga | £21,000£21k | £1,092,000£1.1m | FC Cincinnati | 29 | Centre-back | United States |
| 10 | Kai Wagner | £20,000£20k | £1,040,000£1.0m | Philadelphia Union | 28 | Left-back, left midfielder | Germany |
| 11 | James Sands | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | New York City FC | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | United States |
| 12 | Justen Glad | £19,000£19k | £988,000£988k | Real Salt Lake | 28 | Centre-back | United States |
| 13 | Jakob Glesnes | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | LA Galaxy | 31 | Centre-back | Norway |
| 14 | Aaron Long | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | Los Angeles Football Club | 32 | Centre-back | United States |
| 15 | Alexander Hack | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | New York Red Bulls | 31 | Centre-back | Germany |
| 16 | Walker Zimmerman | £18,000£18k | £936,000£936k | Toronto FC | 32 | Centre-back | United States |
| 17 | Henry Kessler | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Charlotte Football Club | 27 | Centre-back | United States |
| 18 | Harry Toffolo | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Charlotte Football Club | 29 | Left-back | England |
| 19 | Aaron Herrera | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | D.C. United | 28 | Centre-back | Guatemala |
| 20 | Julian Gressel | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Minnesota United FC | 31 | Right-back, attacking midfielder | United States |
| 21 | DeAndre Yedlin | £16,000£16k | £832,000£832k | Real Salt Lake | 32 | Right-back | United States |
| 22 | Rob Holding | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Colorado Rapids | 29 | Centre-back | England |
| 23 | Dave Romney | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | San Jose Earthquakes | 32 | Centre-back | United States |
| 24 | Richie Laryea | £15,000£15k | £780,000£780k | Toronto FC | 30 | Full-back | Canada |
| 25 | Jack Elliott | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Chicago Fire FC | 29 | Centre-back | England |
| 26 | Éric Bailly | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Columbus Crew | 31 | Centre-back | Côte d’Ivoire |
| 27 | Antônio Carlos | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Houston Dynamo FC | 32 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 28 | Brayan Ceballos | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | CF Montréal | 24 | Centre-back | Colombia |
| 29 | Andrés Reyes | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | San Diego Football Club | 25 | Centre-back | Colombia |
| 30 | DeJuan Jones | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | San Jose Earthquakes | 28 | Full-back | United States |
| 31 | Mathías Laborda | £14,000£14k | £728,000£728k | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 25 | Centre-back | Uruguay |
| 32 | Tim Ream | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Charlotte Football Club | 37 | Centre-back | United States |
| 33 | Teenage Hadebe | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | FC Cincinnati | 29 | Centre-back | Zimbabwe |
| 34 | Gonzalo Luján | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Inter Miami CF | 24 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 35 | Sergio Reguilón | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Inter Miami CF | 28 | Left-back | Spain |
| 36 | Jack Maher | £13,000£13k | £676,000£676k | Nashville SC | 25 | Centre-back | United States |
| 37 | Paulo Díaz | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Atlanta United FC | 30 | Centre-back | Chile |
| 38 | David Schnegg | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Charlotte Football Club | 26 | Left-back, left midfielder | Austria |
| 39 | Robin Jansson | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Orlando City SC | 33 | Centre-back | Sweden |
| 40 | David Brekalo | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Orlando City SC | 26 | Defender | Slovenia |
| 41 | Dominik Marczuk | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Real Salt Lake | 21 | Right wing-back, right winger | Poland |
| 42 | Sam Adekugbe | £12,000£12k | £624,000£624k | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 30 | Left-back | Canada |
| 43 | Steven Moreira | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Columbus Crew | 30 | Centre-back | Cape Verde |
| 44 | Matti Peltola | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | D.C. United | 23 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Finland |
| 45 | Michael Boxall | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Minnesota United FC | 36 | Centre-back | New Zealand |
| 46 | Kamal Miller | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Portland Timbers | 28 | Centre-back | Canada |
| 47 | Lukas Engel | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Real Salt Lake | 26 | Centre-back, left midfielder | Denmark |
| 48 | Hassani Dotson | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Seattle Sounders FC | 27 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | United States |
| 49 | Henry Wingo | £11,000£11k | £572,000£572k | Toronto FC | 29 | Defender, right midfielder | United States |
| 50 | Reggie Cannon | £10,000£10k | £520,000£520k | Colorado Rapids | 27 | Centre-back | United States |
What each position earns in Major League Soccer
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 19% of what Major League Soccer pays its players of that age. The four shares add up to the whole bill, because a player who plays in two areas gives half the wage to each.
The clubs that pay their defenders the most
Every defender wage we hold at each Major League Soccer club, added together, a week
Inter Miami CF pay 7 defenders £133,200 a week between them, and Jordi Alba takes 64% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Major League Soccer club
30 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. Major League Soccer ranks 11th.
| LEAGUE | BEST PAID | WEEKLY | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Pro League | Kalidou Koulibaly | £497,000£497k | £40,351£40k |
| Premier League | Virgil van Dijk | £350,000£350k | £69,840£70k |
| Bundesliga | Dayot Upamecano | £331,000£331k | £42,331£42k |
| Ligue 1 | Lucas Hernández | £316,000£316k | £27,702£28k |
| La Liga | João Cancelo | £249,000£249k | £37,418£37k |
| Serie A | John Stones | £200,000£200k | £36,415£36k |
| Süper Lig | Milan Škriniar | £166,000£166k | £15,078£15k |
| Superleague Greece | Stefan de Vrij | £117,000£117k | £10,420£10k |
| Championship | Kieran Trippier | £115,000£115k | £18,082£18k |
| Eredivisie | Lutsharel Geertruida | £99,000£99k | £8,088£8k |
| Major League Soccer | Jordi Alba | £85,000£85k | £7,805£8k |
| Scottish Premiership | Ben Godfrey | £80,000£80k | £5,860£6k |
| Primeira Liga | Jakub Kiwior | £58,000£58k | £5,910£6k |
| La Liga 2 | David López | £58,000£58k | £4,473£4k |
| Russian Premier League | Matheus Reis | £57,000£57k | £12,772£13k |
| Brasileirão Série A | Guillermo Maripán | £53,000£53k | £8,284£8k |
| Belgian Pro League | Matteo Dams | £49,000£49k | £5,133£5k |
| League One | Wes Morgan | £46,000£46k | £5,700£6k |
| 2. Bundesliga | Yannick Gerhardt | £42,000£42k | £8,296£8k |
| Super Liga | Nicolás Otamendi | £41,000£41k | £3,253£3k |
| Danish Superliga | Rasmus Kristensen | £39,000£39k | £5,418£5k |
| Ekstraklasa | Attila Szalai | £36,000£36k | £2,883£3k |
| Serie B | Federico Baschirotto | £33,000£33k | £6,876£7k |
| Czech First League | David Jurásek | £29,000£29k | £1,857£2k |
| Chinese Super League | Matheus Jussa (Matheus Isaias dos Santos) | £27,000£27k | £4,788£5k |
| Liga MX | Kenedy | £25,000£25k | £6,926£7k |
| Austrian Bundesliga | Stefan Lainer | £21,000£21k | £4,095£4k |
| Ligue 2 | Frédéric Guilbert | £18,000£18k | £4,556£5k |
| J1 League | Gotoku Sakai | £15,000£15k | £3,457£3k |
| Croatian First League | Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel | £15,000£15k | £2,078£2k |
| Thai League | Erik Sviatchenko | £14,000£14k | £2,172£2k |
| Eliteserien | Hrannar Snær Magnússon | £13,000£13k | £1,630£2k |
| Belgian Challenger Pro League | Thomas Foket | £8,600£9k | £1,529£2k |
| League Two | Alfie Dorrington | £8,500£9k | £2,352£2k |
| Categoría Primera A | Frank Fabra | £8,300£8k | £3,994£4k |
| Scottish Championship | Leon King | £8,000£8k | £952£952 |
| A-League | Jacob Farrell | £6,100£6k | £1,262£1k |
| Indian Super League | Anwar Ali | £4,500£5k | £595£595 |
| National League | Jake Rooney | £4,100£4k | £1,165£1k |
| I-League | Jamie McCart | £4,100£4k | £547£547 |
| Veikkausliiga | Alfie Cicale | £2,500£3k | £646£646 |
| Canadian Premier League | Curtis Ofori | £1,400£1k | £443£443 |
| Meistriliiga | Modou Tambedou | £484£484 | £152£152 |
Frequently asked questions
Who is the highest paid defender in Major League Soccer?
Jordi Alba of Inter Miami CF, on £85,000 a week in 2026/27, or £4,420,000 a year. Nicolás Fernández Mercau of New York City FC is second on £51,000 a week.
How much do Major League Soccer defenders earn?
The average Major League Soccer defender aged 22 or over earns £7,805 a week, and the median one £6,250. Defenders take 19% of what Major League Soccer pays its players of that age.
Which Major League Soccer club pays its defenders the most?
Inter Miami CF, £133,200 a week across the 7 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Jordi Alba on £85,000.
Who is the highest paid defender in football?
Of the 43 men's leagues we rank defenders in, the best-paid is Kalidou Koulibaly of Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club in the Saudi Pro League, on £497,000 a week. The best-paid in Major League Soccer ranks 11th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Major League Soccer squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Major League Soccer players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Major League Soccer players are paid at every age, or Major League Soccer wage bill, club by club.