Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer, Wayne Rooney is eighth
- The Los Angeles Galaxy striker tops the list for the second season in a row, making US$7.2 million a year
- While MLS salaries have grown, the league still lags behind most North American pro sports leagues
Ever heard of Kris Letang or Jordan Eberle?
Chances are you haven’t. However, Letang, a defenceman in the National Hockey League who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Eberle, a New York Islanders sniper, both make more money than Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedish former European superstar who now plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.
While MLS salaries have grown exponentially over the past few years (150 per cent for senior roster non-designated players over the past five years) the league is still playing catch-up to the other four major North American sports leagues.
The National Basketball Association tops the list (however, team rosters consist of a maximum of 15 players) as the average player makes more than Ibrahimovic (US$7.7 million a season). According to Statista, the MLS ranks 13th in the world when it comes to average annual salaries concerning professional sports leagues.
This is rapidly changing as the MLS is climbing up the standings. The league recently passed Japan’s J-League in terms of average annual salaries. The average base salary for a senior roster non-designated player in the MLS is US$345,867, a figure that has risen from US$138,140 in 2014. This year marks the eighth consecutive year of average base salary increases in the MLS.
