The MLS Players Association (MLSPA) released its 2022 Spring-Summer Salary Guide on Tuesday, featuring salary information for all MLS players under contract as of April 15, 2022.
The guide contains players’ current annualized base salary and their annualized average guaranteed compensation.
Each figure, pulled from 841 players across 28 clubs, is calculated by the MLSPA.
The annualized average guaranteed compensation (guaranteed comp) number includes a player's base salary and all signing and guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the player's contract, including option years.
The annualized average guaranteed compensation number also includes any marketing bonus and any agent's fees, but doesn’t include performance bonuses since there’s no guarantee that players will hit those bonuses.
The top 10 highest-earning players, according to the 2022 MLSPA Salary Guide, are listed below. The top spot belongs to Chicago Fire FC midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri.
Player |
Base Salary |
Guaranteed Compensation |
|---|---|---|
1. Xherdan Shaqiri (CHI) |
$7,350,000.00 |
$8,153,000.00 |
2. Javier Hernandez (LA) |
$6,000,000.00 |
$6,000,000.00 |
3. Gonzalo Higuaín (MIA) |
$5,100,000.00 |
$5,793,750.00 |
4. Alejandro Pozuelo (TOR) |
$3,800,000.00 |
$4,693,000.00 |
5. Jozy Altidore (NE) |
$3,706,139.00 |
$4,264,963.00 |
6. Josef Martínez (ATL) |
$3,750,000.00 |
$4,141,667.00 |
7. Carlos Vela (LAFC) |
$2,250,000.00 |
$4,050,000.00 |
8. Luiz Araújo (ATL) |
$3,600,000.00 |
$3,941,667.00 |
9. Lucas Zelarayan (CLB) |
$3,100,000.00 |
$3,700,000.00 |
10. Carles Gil (NE) |
$3,250,000.00 |
$3,545,833.00 |
