Gareth Bale is surprisingly only earning a fraction of what fellow former Premier League stars Xherdan Shaqiri and Javier Hernandez pull in from Major League Soccer.
Bale joined Los Angeles FC on a one-year deal in the summer after his Real Madrid contract expired. The 33-year-old forward made the move to MLS after being strongly linked with a transfer to Cardiff City – and the decision saw him attract plenty of criticism.
Some fans accused the former Tottenham star of taking the easy route to a pay cheque, rather than challenging himself in a top European league. Bale has scored two goals in 12 MLS appearances for LAFC so far and it has now been revealed just how much he is getting paid in California.
Bale is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in American soccer, but his status is not reflected in the wages. On Monday, MLS published a list of salaries of players contracted to clubs before September 2, with Bale ranking way down in 23rd, way behind Shaqiri, Hernandez and other familiar names like Federico Bernardeschi, Douglas Costa and Gonzalo Higuain.
Even ex-Premier League players Jozy Altidore and Victor Wanyama take home more than Bale’s salary of $1,600,000 (£1,420,640), which rises to $2,386,667 (£2,119,121) including guaranteed bonuses and contract option years. The figures do not include performance bonuses, meaning Bale could be paid more depending on his efforts on the pitch.
Interestingly, Lorenzo Insigne, who swapped Napoli for Toronto in the summer, is by far the highest-paid player in the league. The Italian forward pulls in a whopping $14,000,000 (£12,369,630) per year, almost double what former Liverpool midfielder Shaqiri earns ($7,350,000) at Chicago Fire. Former United striker Hernandez takes home $6,000,000 at LA Galaxy.
Bale has previously denied suggestions he joined LAFC purely for financial reasons. “There was a reason I wanted to go to LAFC, they are a club that is really on the rise and is going places,” he said in September. “It was a project I wanted to be a part of. This is a new challenge with a new club and new team and it gives you that freshness again about football. One I am enjoying and one hopefully I will continue to enjoy."
Top 25 MLS player salaries (2022)
1. Lorenzo Insigne (TOR) $14,000,000 (base salary), $14,000,000 (with guaranteed compensation)
2. Xherdan Shaqiri (CHI) $7,350,000, $8,153,000
3. Javier Hernandez (LA) $6,000,000, $7,443,750
4. Federico Bernardeschi (TOR) $3,125,000, $6,256,322
5. Douglas Costa (LA) $3,000,000, $5,800,000
6. Gonzalo Higuain (MIA) $5,100,000, $5,793,750
7. Hector Herrera (HOU) $4,750,000, $5,246,875
8. Alejandro Pozuelo (MIA) $3,800,000, $4,693,000
9. Luiz Araujo (ATL) $3,600,000, $4,480,333
10. Jozy Altidore (NE) $3,706,139, $4,264,963
11. Christian Benteke (DC) $4,000,000, $4,182,778
12. Josef Martinez (ATL) $3,750,000, $4,141,667
13. Lucas Zelarayan (CLB) $3,100,000, $3,700,000
14. Carles Gil (NE) $3,250,000, $3,545,833
15. Rodolfo Pizarro (MIA) $3,050,000, $3,350,000
16. Nicolas Lodeiro (SEA) $2,640,000, $3,256,667
17. Franco Jara (DAL) $2,540,000, $3,227,000
18. Raul Ruidiaz (SEA) $2,472,000, $3,201,120
19. Victor Wanyama (MTL) $2,400,000, $3,091,667
20. Cucho Hernandez (CLB) $2,600,000, $2,886,000
21. Carlos Vela (LAFC) $2,400,000, $2,737,500
22. Gustavo Bou (NE) $2,500,000, $2,675,000
23. Gareth Bale (LAFC) $1,600,000, $2,386,667
24. Gaston Gimenez (CHI) $2,060,000, $2,360,667
25. Walker Zimmerman (NSH) $2,088,235, $2,345,214
