The “beautiful game” is becoming more popular on this side of the Atlantic, despite soccer not being one of the “Big Four” traditional American sports. Beyond the growing popularity of the Premier League and other European competitions, the MLS is establishing its niche. Of course, this reality has some financial ramifications and its position in the world football pyramid, but MLS teams are improving and showing their strength. Here are some players in Major League Soccer with the highest wages as of 2022.

MLS is a retirement community for older footballers; it is hard to say if that reputation is accurate. However, with around $5 million in earnings, Gonzalo Higuain is at the top of that list. The Argentine striker spent time in Europe and played for Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan, and Chelsea. He scored more than 200 goals in that period, including a record-tying 36 goals in the 2015–16 season, before relocating to North America in 2020. Higuain has demonstrated that, despite his age, he still has a knack for scoring goals. With just over a month left in the 2022 season, he has nine goals, down from the 12 he scored in his debut season in Miami.

Getty Images/ AFP/ Miguel Medina

Sebastian Giovinco once held the position of authority in Toronto. While he left at the beginning of 2019, Ontario now has a new Italian community. Federico Bernardeschi belongs to this group. Before joining Juventus in 2017, the winger was formerly with Fiorentina. He demonstrated great potential, but his talent didn’t transfer into winning games in his five seasons at Turin. As a result, he decided to move to Canada in 2022 instead of remaining in Italy. While he talked about being a part of a project in Toronto and succeeding to the best of his ability in Serie A, the attacker’s estimated $9.26 million annual wage certainly persuaded him to give Major League Soccer (MLS) a shot.