The 10 Top MLS Salaries in 2023
Major League Soccer is in somewhat of a boom, with superstars like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba all making decisions to move state-side in 2023. Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami has particularly raised eyebrows when it comes to yearly MLS salaries.
In this article, we break down the 10 top MLS salaries in 2023, revealing which players earn the most money in America’s top division. We discuss ex-Premier League legends, Chicharito and Christian Benteke, as well as Lorenzo Insigne. Read on to learn which players earn the highest salaries in America’s top flight.
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The 10 Top MLS Salaries in 2023
Here are the 10 players that have the top MLS salaries in 2023:
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami – $54 million per year)
- Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami – $10 million per year)
- Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC – $7.5 million per year)
- Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire FC – $7.35 million per year)
- Chicharito (LA Galaxy – $6 million per year)
- Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo FC – $4.75 million per year)
- Christian Benteke (DC United – $4.25 million per year)
- Josef Martinez (Inter Miami – $4 million per year)
- Sebastián Driussi (Austin FC – $3.8 million per year)
- Carles Gil (New England Revolution – $3.25 million per year)
10. Carles Gil (New England Revolution – $3.25 million per year)
First in our list of top MLS salaries is New England Revolution’s Carles Gil. The Spanish midfielder joined the club in 2019 and has since made over 120 appearances. He did have a spell playing for Premier League side Aston Villa in 2014, making 28 appearances for them in 2 seasons.
He’s one of New England’s three designated players and wears the number 10 shirt. He also played a part in the 2023 MLS All-Star Game after being called up by English manager Wayne Rooney. His yearly salary is $3.25 million per year, meaning he has the 10th highest MLS salary in 2023.
9. Sebastián Driussi (Austin FC – $3.8 million per year)
9th in the list of the highest MLS salaries is Sebastián Driussi. The Argentine forward hasn’t represented his country in senior football, starting out his career at River Plate before moving to Zenit Saint Petersburg before a move to Austin FC in 2021.
As a designated player, he is paid outside the salary cap of his side, and earns roughly $3.8 million per year. In three seasons with the club, he’s scored 33 league goals in 69 games, scoring at a rate of 0.48 goals per game.
At the age of 27, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see him called up to the national side, however he’s certainly landed on his feet in America with regard to salary.
8. Josef Martinez (Inter Miami – $4 million per year)
Our first Inter Miami player on the list is Venezuela international striker Josef Martinez. Having scored 111 goals in 158 games in all competitions for fellow MLS side Atlanta United, he took the opportunity to move to Miami.
Earning $4 million per year puts him 8th in the highest MLS salaries in 2023. He scored 6 goals in his first 25 appearances for the club, which means he’s not hitting the same heights as he did with Atlanta, however with the arrival of high profile players including Messi, Busquets and Alba, it’s likely that his fortunes will start to change.
7. Christian Benteke (DC United – $4.25 million per year)
Formerly of Premier League fame, Christian Benteke had spells at Aston Villa, Liverpool and Crystal Palace before joining D.C. United. Signing as a designated player, Benteke made club history by surpassing Wayne Rooney’s club record salary of $3.5 million a season.
Benteke earns $4.25 million per year in Washington, putting him 7th in our list of top MLS salaries in 2023. You can enjoy one of his impressive goals for the club in the following video, where he scored a bicycle kick against Charlotte FC.
6. Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo FC – $4.75 million per year)
6th on our list of the top MLS salaries in 2023 is potentially a surprising entry. Héctor Herrera, formerly of Pachica, Porto and Atlético Madrid, is a Mexican international who’s made over 100 appearances for his country.
In 2022, he opted to part ways with Atlético and La Liga to sign for Houston Dynamo as one of their designated players. In doing so, he earns $4.75 million per year, which is less than the estimated $6.6 million he was earning at Atlético during the 2021/22 season.
This is still a great situation for the player, who has joined MLS in his early thirties, sealing a salary that he probably would have struggled to get elsewhere.
5. Chicharito (LA Galaxy – $6 million per year)
Mexican striker Chicharito has had a colourful career, most notably from his time in the Premier League playing for Manchester United. At the age of 35, he’s seen it all, having had three stints in Europe’s top 3 leagues (Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga).
He’s played for other top sides besides United, including West Ham, Sevilla, Bayern Leverkusen and even had a loan spell at Galacticos Real Madrid during the 2014/15 season. In 2020, he joined MLS side LA Galaxy and now earns $6 million per year, which means he has the 5th highest MLS salary in 2023.
4. Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire FC – $7.35 million per year)
After leaving Premier League side Liverpool in 2021, Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri played 11 games for Ligue 1 side Lyon before joining Chicago Fire for a handsome salary. The flexible forward joined the club as a designated player and scored 10 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions.
Earning an impressive $7.35 million per year, Shaquiri has the 4th highest MLS salary in our list. Furthermore, his initial signing fee of $7.5 million was a Chicago Fire club-record, demonstrating how much the club wanted to bring the player to America.
3. Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC – $7.5 million per year)
A transfer that really made headlines in 2022 was Lorenzo Insigne’s move from Napoli to Toronto FC. The Italian national captain decided to move from his home country’s top flight to challenge himself in MLS, and by doing so has received an impressive salary.
Insigne earns $7.5 million per year, making him the 3rd highest earner in MLS. He won’t be feeling too homesick, though, as fellow compatriot Federico Bernardeschi is another designated player for Toronto FC. The two players will know each other well from international duty, and will both be earning good money too.
2. Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami – $10 million per year)
Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets decided to follow Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, and picked up an impressive salary because of it. Although the midfielder is 35 years old, he’s earning a reported $10 million per year in Miami.
This makes Busquets 2nd in our list of top MLS salaries in 2023, $2.5 million ahead of 3rd place Lorenzo Insigne. With the MLS being a slower and less intense football league, Busquets will still be able to demonstrate his quality on the pitch even in his mid to late thirties.
1. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami – $54 million per year)
The most high profile MLS signing of all time was Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami in 2023. After winning the 2022 Qatar World Cup with Argentina, Messi opted to move to America, turning down a move to Saudi Arabia.
With Apple making significant investment in US soccer as well as the 2024 Copa América and 2026 World Cup being held state-side, Messi is going to be the face of MLS soccer at its most pinnacle time.
What comes with being the greatest of all time is a high salary, and we mean high. It’s estimated that Messi will earn a yearly $54 million salary from David Beckham’s Inter Miami, as well as earning significant amounts from Apple and other sponsors.
This means that the Argentine comfortably earns the highest MLS salary of all time, putting him a mere $44 million ahead of old Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets. By being the greatest player of all time, it’s hardly surprising to see Messi earn these kinds of figures in America at the age of 36.
Witness greatness by watching Messi’s match-winning free kick against Cruz Azul on his debut.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is There a Salary Cap in MLS?
Technically there isn’t a salary cap in MLS because teams can pay up to three players a salary outside the salary cap hit of $651,250. This is why teams like Inter Miami are able to pay players like Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets really large salaries.
Is MLS Bigger Than NHL?
In 2022, it was reported that MLS has overtaken the NHL in most followed sports in America. This meant that MLS was the 4th most followed sport. With the rate in which soccer is gaining popularity in America, it has the potential to overtake Major League Baseball (MLB) in the near future.
