MLS
How MLS salaries compare to Premier League, LaLiga...
At the end of September, MLS released the exact amount that each player in the league will be paid next year.
MLS has enjoyed a historic 2023, managing to sign the likes of Leo Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and, in 2024, Luis Suárez. The plan for the competition is to try to compete on a level playing field with the elite over a five-year period. While there is a lot of scepticism, one thing is clear at the moment, MLS is nowhere near the top leagues in terms of salaries.
At the end of September, MLS released the exact amount that each player in the league will be paid next year. In an unparalleled measure of transparency, the league’s salaries were released into the public domain, causing a buzz in all areas of the sport, including agencies, players and clubs. Established players such as Sergio Busquets ($1.5 million) and Jordi Alba ($1 million) have become Designated Players and are earning a tiny amount compared to what took home in Europe. This season’s MVP in the league, Luciano Acosta, is just shy of a base salary of $2 million.
Premier League, LaLiga figures
The figures for the top players might be on par with the average player in Europe, but looking at the bottom of the table is surprising. The base salary for the competition has been set at $67,300 per year (€61,700), with some promising young players such as Obed Vargas and Serge Ngoma earning that amount. Meanwhile, the minimum in LaLiga starts at $109,000 per year (€99,161) and in the Premier League, it is $304,556 per year (€279,192).
Brazil
Outside Investments have boosted leagues, clubs and entire countries. While the MLS project is slowly getting off the ground by attracting young South American talent, the North American league is still a long way behind the Brazilian league, both financially and in terms of soccer. The salaries in the Brasileirão do not though, compare to those paid in Europe, with Luis Suárez earning $6 million per year, and Pedro Guilherme and Germán Cano earning $2 million. Brazil has, however, managed to distribute its wealth more evenly, being able to give its promising players salaries to match and even tempt them to return to the country once they have tried their luck in Europe.