In the U.S., professional soccer players’ salaries are regularly published. Some names familiar to fans in the Ruhr region are raking in substantial sums.
Faced with these figures, the average person can’t help but be stunned. The salaries of MLS pros from the top division in the U.S. have been published. It comes as no surprise that Lionel Messi sits at the top. But some names familiar in the Ruhr region are also raking in substantial sums.
Messi has a base salary of around $12,000,000 per year, which is slightly less than 10.4 million euros. However, including guaranteed bonuses, this total rises to a whopping $20,446,667. In euros, at the current exchange rate of one dollar to 86 cents, that’s just over 17.6 million euros.
This puts Messi far ahead of his closest “rival,” Heung-min Son. The South Korean earns, including all bonuses, $11,152,852, or just over 9.6 million euros.
Well behind him is a former Schalke player. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has been playing for the New York Red Bulls since last summer—and is getting paid handsomely 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 crosses the million-dollar threshold. 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 deposited into his account.
Timo Baumgartl also has a past with Schalke. He now plays for St. Louis City, where he earns a base salary of $550,000 (around €475,000) per year. Including bonuses, Baumgartl takes home $643,333 (around €556,000).
And former Essen player Lawrence Ennali also earns a six-figure salary. His base salary is $475,000. That’s around 410,000 euros. With additional bonuses, Ennali’s annual salary comes to $549,250—or nearly 475,000 euros.