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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER · MIDFIELDERS · 2026/27

Highest paid Major League Soccer midfielders

Casemiro is the best-paid midfielder in Major League Soccer, on £300,000 a week at Inter Miami CF, or £15,600,000 a year. Sergio Busquets is next on £125,000 at Inter Miami CF. We hold wages for 165 Major League Soccer midfielders in 2026/27.

BEST PAID £300k
AVERAGE WAGE £11,731
SHARE OF WAGE BILL16%
TOP 10 A WEEK £654k
WAGES HELD165

The 50 best-paid Major League Soccer midfielders

Weekly wage, 2026/27. A player who plays in two areas of the pitch is on both lists, at the full wage.

The best-paid midfielders in Major League Soccer in 2026/27, ranked by weekly wage, with the yearly wage, club, age, position and nationality.
# PLAYER WEEKLY YEARLY CLUB AGE POSITION NATION
1 Casemiro £300,000£300k £15,600,000£15.6m Inter Miami CF 33 Defensive midfielder Brazil
2 Sergio Busquets £125,000£125k £6,500,000£6.5m Inter Miami CF 36 Defensive midfielder Spain
3 Evander £69,000£69k £3,588,000£3.6m FC Cincinnati 27 Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder Brazil
4 Sergi Roberto £35,000£35k £1,820,000£1.8m LA Galaxy 33 Right-back, defensive midfielder Spain
5 Cristian Roldán £26,000£26k £1,352,000£1.4m Seattle Sounders FC 30 Defensive midfielder, central midfielder United States
6 Eduard Löwen £22,000£22k £1,144,000£1.1m San Jose Earthquakes 28 Defensive midfielder Germany
7 Kai Wagner £20,000£20k £1,040,000£1.0m Philadelphia Union 28 Left-back, left midfielder Germany
8 Steven Alzate £19,000£19k £988,000£988k Atlanta United FC 26 Defensive midfielder Colombia
9 James Sands £19,000£19k £988,000£988k New York City FC 25 Centre-back, defensive midfielder United States
10 Niklas Dorsch £19,000£19k £988,000£988k Toronto FC 27 Defensive midfielder Germany
11 Andrés Cubas £19,000£19k £988,000£988k Vancouver Whitecaps FC 29 Defensive midfielder Paraguay
12 André Gomes £18,000£18k £936,000£936k Columbus Crew 31 Central midfielder Portugal
13 Obinna Nwobodo £17,000£17k £884,000£884k FC Cincinnati 28 Defensive midfielder Nigeria
14 Artur £16,000£16k £832,000£832k Houston Dynamo FC 29 Defensive midfielder Brazil
15 Alhassan Yusuf £16,000£16k £832,000£832k New England Revolution 24 Defensive midfielder Nigeria
16 Jackson Yueill £15,000£15k £780,000£780k New England Revolution 28 Defensive midfielder United States
17 Ashley Westwood £14,000£14k £728,000£728k Charlotte Football Club 35 Defensive midfielder England
18 Anton Salétros £14,000£14k £728,000£728k Chicago Fire FC 29 Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder Sweden
19 Cole Bassett £14,000£14k £728,000£728k Portland Timbers 23 Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder United States
20 Diadié Samassékou £13,000£13k £676,000£676k Houston Dynamo FC 29 Defensive midfielder Mali
21 Marky Delgado £13,000£13k £676,000£676k Los Angeles Football Club 30 Central midfielder United States
22 Andrés Perea £13,000£13k £676,000£676k New York City FC 24 Defensive midfielder United States
23 Braian Ojeda £13,000£13k £676,000£676k Orlando City SC 25 Defensive midfielder, central midfielder Paraguay
24 David Schnegg £12,000£12k £624,000£624k Charlotte Football Club 26 Left-back, left midfielder Austria
25 Héctor Herrera £12,000£12k £624,000£624k Houston Dynamo FC 35 Defensive midfielder Mexico
26 Eduard Atuesta £12,000£12k £624,000£624k Orlando City SC 28 Defensive midfielder Colombia
27 Diego Chará £12,000£12k £624,000£624k Portland Timbers 39 Defensive midfielder Colombia
28 Pablo Ruiz £12,000£12k £624,000£624k Real Salt Lake 26 Defensive midfielder Argentina
29 Matti Peltola £11,000£11k £572,000£572k D.C. United 23 Centre-back, defensive midfielder Finland
30 Joaquín Pereyra £11,000£11k £572,000£572k Minnesota United FC 26 Central midfielder Argentina
31 Lukas Engel £11,000£11k £572,000£572k Real Salt Lake 26 Centre-back, left midfielder Denmark
32 Hassani Dotson £11,000£11k £572,000£572k Seattle Sounders FC 27 Right-back, defensive midfielder United States
33 Lasse Berg Johnsen £11,000£11k £572,000£572k Sporting Kansas City 25 Defensive midfielder Norway
34 Henry Wingo £11,000£11k £572,000£572k Toronto FC 29 Defender, right midfielder United States
35 Lucas Sanabria £10,000£10k £520,000£520k LA Galaxy 21 Defensive midfielder Uruguay
36 Jeppe Tverskov £10,000£10k £520,000£520k San Diego Football Club 32 Centre-back, defensive midfielder Denmark
37 Tim Leibold £10,000£10k £520,000£520k Sporting Kansas City 31 Left-back, left midfielder Germany
38 Andre Dozzell £9,500£10k £494,000£494k D.C. United 26 Defensive midfielder England
39 Djé D'Avilla £9,400£9k £488,800£489k Chicago Fire FC 22 Defensive midfielder Côte d’Ivoire
40 Danley Jean-Jacques £9,400£9k £488,800£489k Philadelphia Union 25 Defensive midfielder Haiti
41 Hamzat Ojediran £9,200£9k £478,400£478k Colorado Rapids 21 Defensive midfielder Nigeria
42 Ilie Sánchez £9,100£9k £473,200£473k Austin FC 34 Defensive midfielder Spain
43 Igor Jesus (Igor Jesus Lima) £9,100£9k £473,200£473k Los Angeles Football Club 22 Defensive midfielder Brazil
44 Juan Manuel Sanabria £9,100£9k £473,200£473k Real Salt Lake 25 Left-back, central midfielder Uruguay
45 Shaq Moore £9,000£9k £468,000£468k FC Dallas 28 Right-back, right midfielder United States
46 Mathieu Choinière £9,000£9k £468,000£468k Los Angeles Football Club 26 Defensive midfielder Canada
47 Nectar Triantis £9,000£9k £468,000£468k Minnesota United FC 22 Defensive midfielder Greece
48 Matt Polster £9,000£9k £468,000£468k New England Revolution 32 Right-back, defensive midfielder United States
49 Maxwell Woledzi £8,900£9k £462,800£463k Nashville SC 24 Centre-back, defensive midfielder Ghana
50 Tomás Jacob £8,600£9k £447,200£447k Atlanta United FC 21 Centre-back, defensive midfielder Argentina

What each position earns in Major League Soccer

Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for

Goalkeepers £5,216 Defenders £7,805 Midfielders £12k Attackers £23k

Midfielders take 16% 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 midfielders the most

Every midfielder wage we hold at each Major League Soccer club, added together, a week

Inter Miami CF £443k FC Cincinnati £98k New York City FC £58k LA Galaxy £51k Real Salt Lake £51k Houston Dynamo FC £50k New England Revolution £50k Orlando City SC £49k San Jose Earthquakes £47k Seattle Sounders FC £47k

Inter Miami CF pay 6 midfielders £442,700 a week between them, and Casemiro takes 68% of it.

The best-paid midfielder at every Major League Soccer club

30 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's midfielders

Each Major League Soccer club's best-paid midfielder in 2026/27, the weekly wage, and that player's rank among every midfielder in the league.
CLUB PLAYER WEEKLY RANK
Inter Miami CF Casemiro £300,000£300k 1
FC Cincinnati Evander £69,000£69k 3
LA Galaxy Sergi Roberto £35,000£35k 4
Seattle Sounders FC Cristian Roldán £26,000£26k 5
San Jose Earthquakes Eduard Löwen £22,000£22k 6
Philadelphia Union Kai Wagner £20,000£20k 7
New York City FC James Sands £19,000£19k 9
Atlanta United FC Steven Alzate £19,000£19k 8
Toronto FC Niklas Dorsch £19,000£19k 10
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Andrés Cubas £19,000£19k 11
Columbus Crew André Gomes £18,000£18k 12
Houston Dynamo FC Artur £16,000£16k 14
New England Revolution Alhassan Yusuf £16,000£16k 15
Portland Timbers Cole Bassett £14,000£14k 19
Charlotte Football Club Ashley Westwood £14,000£14k 17
Chicago Fire FC Anton Salétros £14,000£14k 18
Orlando City SC Braian Ojeda £13,000£13k 23
Los Angeles Football Club Marky Delgado £13,000£13k 21
Real Salt Lake Pablo Ruiz £12,000£12k 28
Minnesota United FC Joaquín Pereyra £11,000£11k 30
D.C. United Matti Peltola £11,000£11k 29
Sporting Kansas City Lasse Berg Johnsen £11,000£11k 33
San Diego Football Club Jeppe Tverskov £10,000£10k 36
Colorado Rapids Hamzat Ojediran £9,200£9k 41
Austin FC Ilie Sánchez £9,100£9k 42
FC Dallas Shaq Moore £9,000£9k 45
Nashville SC Maxwell Woledzi £8,900£9k 49
St. Louis CITY SC Dante Polvara £7,400£7k 70
CF Montréal Daniel Pereira £7,400£7k 69
New York Red Bulls Ronald Donkor £1,700£2k 121

The best-paid midfielder in every men's league

43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid midfielder. Major League Soccer ranks fifth.

The best-paid midfielder in each men's league we rank midfielders in, the weekly wage, and the league's average midfielder wage over players aged 22 or over.
LEAGUE BEST PAID WEEKLY AVERAGE
Saudi Pro League Otávio £472,000£472k £49,687£50k
Süper Lig N'Golo Kanté £348,000£348k £21,488£21k
Bundesliga Joshua Kimmich £315,000£315k £39,483£39k
Premier League Bruno Fernandes £300,000£300k £76,710£77k
Major League Soccer Casemiro £300,000£300k £11,731£12k
Ligue 1 Marquinhos £279,000£279k £30,015£30k
La Liga Trent Alexander-Arnold £249,000£249k £40,838£41k
Serie A John Stones £200,000£200k £44,528£45k
Primeira Liga João Palhinha £199,000£199k £11,158£11k
Championship Kalvin Phillips £165,000£165k £20,131£20k
Croatian First League Ismaël Bennacer £117,000£117k £4,206£4k
Brasileirão Série A Arthur £99,000£99k £10,842£11k
Eredivisie Lutsharel Geertruida £99,000£99k £9,142£9k
2. Bundesliga Maximilian Arnold £74,000£74k £11,170£11k
Russian Premier League Wendel £71,000£71k £16,664£17k
Liga MX Carlos Gruezo £64,000£64k £6,811£7k
League One Boubakary Soumaré £58,000£58k £6,405£6k
Serie B Ali Al Musrati £55,000£55k £8,344£8k
La Liga 2 Donny van de Beek £54,000£54k £5,199£5k
Super Liga Leandro Paredes £44,000£44k £4,100£4k
Chinese Super League Ibrahim Amadou £42,000£42k £5,544£6k
Scottish Premiership Callum McGregor £39,000£39k £5,790£6k
J1 League Oriol Romeu £35,000£35k £4,063£4k
Danish Superliga Philip Billing £35,000£35k £7,123£7k
Superleague Greece Christos Zafeiris £33,000£33k £7,533£8k
Czech First League Sivert Mannsverk £33,000£33k £2,010£2k
Belgian Pro League László Bénes £25,000£25k £6,702£7k
Ekstraklasa Karol Linetty £25,000£25k £3,410£3k
Ligue 2 Ibou Sissoko £21,000£21k £4,966£5k
Austrian Bundesliga Bendegúz Bolla £20,000£20k £3,500£4k
Belgian Challenger Pro League Mats Rits £16,000£16k £2,048£2k
Eliteserien Hrannar Snær Magnússon £13,000£13k £2,231£2k
League Two Joe Williams £12,000£12k £2,560£3k
Categoría Primera A Élan Ricardo £11,000£11k £3,852£4k
Thai League Roque Mesa £8,000£8k £2,247£2k
Indian Super League Lalengmawia £5,500£6k £707£707
Veikkausliiga Alexander Ring £4,500£5k £708£708
Scottish Championship Graeme Shinnie £4,200£4k £907£907
National League Jake Rooney £4,100£4k £1,293£1k
A-League Jake Girdwood-Reich £4,100£4k £1,219£1k
I-League Jordi Altena £3,100£3k £364£364
Canadian Premier League Manuel Aparicio £810£810 £458£458
Meistriliiga Modou Tambedou £484£484 £161£161

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid midfielder in Major League Soccer?

Casemiro of Inter Miami CF, on £300,000 a week in 2026/27, or £15,600,000 a year. Sergio Busquets of Inter Miami CF is second on £125,000 a week.

How much do Major League Soccer midfielders earn?

The average Major League Soccer midfielder aged 22 or over earns £11,731 a week, and the median one £7,400. Midfielders take 16% of what Major League Soccer pays its players of that age.

Which Major League Soccer club pays its midfielders the most?

Inter Miami CF, £442,700 a week across the 6 midfielders we hold a wage for, led by Casemiro on £300,000.

Who is the highest paid midfielder in football?

Of the 43 men's leagues we rank midfielders in, the best-paid is Otávio of Al-Qadsiah Football Club in the Saudi Pro League, on £472,000 a week. The best-paid in Major League Soccer ranks fifth 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.