In the USA, the salaries of professional soccer players are published regularly. Some well-known names in the Ruhr region are earning impressive sums.

With these figures, the average consumer can only shake their head in disbelief. The salaries of MLS professionals from the top league in the USA have been published. It comes as no surprise that Lionel Messi is at the top of the list. But some names well known in the Ruhr region are also earning substantial sums.
Messi has a base salary of around $12,000,000 per year, which is slightly less than €10.4 million. However, including guaranteed bonuses, this sum rises to a whopping $20,446,667. At the current exchange rate of one dollar to 86 cents, that’s just over €17.6 million. This puts Messi far ahead of his closest “rival,” Heung-min Son. The South Korean earns $11,152,852 million, including all bonuses, which is just over €9.6 million.

An ex-Schalke player is also well behind. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has been playing for the New York Red Bulls since last summer – and is well paid for it. He has a base salary of $3.2 million (around €2.76 million). Including bonuses, “Choupo” earns $3,530,667 (around €3.05 million).

Marco Reus, another former Dortmund player, also breaks the million-dollar mark. His salary at LA Galaxy is $880,000 (around €760,000) and rises to $1,136,667 (around €982,000) with bonuses. His teammate and former Schalke player Maya Yoshida has to settle for less. The 37-year-old center back earns an annual salary of $455,000 (around €393,000). With bonuses, a total of $526,281 (around €455,000) is regularly transferred to his account. Timo Baumgartl also has a Schalke past. He now plays for St. Louis City, where he earns a base salary of $550,000 (around €475,000) per year. With bonuses, Baumgartl earns $643,333 (around €556,000).

Former Essen player Lawrence Ennali also earns a six-figure salary. His base salary is $475,000, which is around €410,000. With additional bonuses, Ennali’s annual salary comes to $549,250 – almost €475,000.