Inter Miami co-owner is undoubtedly an iconic figure in the footballing world and his influence as a player in MLS football can’t be highlighted enough. MLS football was largely in the doldrums until the imminent arrival of David Beckham sparked the introduction of the Designated Player rule and this helped boost the level of the league.
The Designated Player rule let each club in MLS football pay three of their players outside the salary cap implemented by league officials. In 2019, the average salary in MLS football was $345,867 on a yearly basis and some Designated Players earned as much as five times the average salary.
The Designated Player rule has allowed clubs to sign star players from overseas plus promising young players in and out of the United States of America. Let’s take a look at the highest paid players in MLS football according to the list compiled by bolavip.com.
San Jose Earthquakes midfielder completes the list of the top 20 at $1.47m annually. Sporting Kansas City striker Alan Pulido, Real Salt Lake midfielder Albert Rusnak, New York City FC midfielder Maxi Morales, Seattle Sounders star Raul Ruidiaz and LA Galaxy attacker Jonathan dos Santos all earn $2m yearly and they are from 19th to 15th on the top 20 list in that order.
Spanish international Carles Gil plays for New England Revolution and he comes in at 14th spot with $2.4m annual earnings. Fellow New England Revolution player Gustavo Bou also earns the same $2.4m yearly in 13th place. Portland Timbers star Diego Valeri is in 12th place with $2.41m annual earnings, while Luis Nani of Orlando City is in 11th with the earnings totaling $2.48m.
Seattle Sounders midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro rounds up the top ten at $2.5m in earnings. Portland Timbers star Sebastian Blanco is in ninth position at $2.85m in earnings, while Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez comes in at number eight with $3.05m in earnings.
Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo is at number seven with earnings of $3.8m yearly. Mexican international Rodolfo Pizarro is sixth on the list with annual earnings of $4.9m. Los Angeles FC forward Carlos Vela, Toronto FC striker Jozy Altidore and FC Toronto midfielder Michael Bradley are fifth, fourth and third respectively with annual earnings of $6.3m, $6.33m and $6.5m.
LA Galaxy striker and Mexican international Javier Hernandez is second with $7.2 annual earnings, while Argentine international Gonzalo Higuain tops the list with $8.8m in earnings on a yearly basis.