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Inter Miami have highest payroll in MLS, Gonzalo Higuaín is league’s third-highest paid player

khobi price, south florida sun-sentinel
·3 min read

Inter Miami CF lead Major League Soccer in player spending for the 2021 season, according to player salary and compensation data released by the Major League Soccer Players Association on Thursday.

Miami’s $17.8 million in guaranteed player compensation was the highest among all 27 teams in MLS for this season, with the data cutting off on the league’s roster-compliance date of April 15.

Toronto FC, who are documented as having spent $17.01 million on player compensation, were the only other team in the league to eclipse the $17-million threshold.

Gonzalo Higuaín is Inter Miami’s highest-paid player with a guaranteed compensation of $5,793,750, making him the third highest-paid player in the league behind LAFC’s Carlos Vela ($6.3 million) and LA Galaxy’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez ($6 million).

A player’s guaranteed compensation is their base salary plus signing/guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the player’s contract, including option years. The guaranteed compensation numbers provided by the MLSPA don’t include performance bonuses since there isn’t a guarantee that the player will hit those bonuses.

Rodolfo Pizarro is Inter Miami’s second-highest-paid player with a guaranteed compensation of $3.35 million, which is the seventh-highest mark in the league. Blaise Matuidi ($1.5 million) and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez ($1.01 million) are the other Inter Miami players whose guaranteed compensation is above $1 million.

Higuaín, Matuidi and Pizarro are Inter Miami’s three designated players.

Here are the top-10 spenders on guaranteed player compensation in MLS for this year:

  1. Inter Miami — $17.8 million;

  2. Toronto FC — $17.01 million;

  3. LA Galaxy — $16.84 million;

  4. Atlanta United — $16.18 million;

  5. FC Cincinnati — $15.5 million;

  6. LAFC — $14.93 million;

  7. Chicago Fire — $13.63 million;

  8. Columbus Crew — $13.5 million;

  9. Sporting KC — $13.46 million;

  10. New York City FC — $12.99 million.

The average spending for teams is in 2021 is $12.29 million.

Since the cutoff for the MLSPA’s data was April 15, the compensation figures don’t include Toronto FC’s signings of winger Yeferson Soteldo, who’s a designated player, and left back Kemar Lawrence.

Inter Miami’s signings of English left back Kieran Gibbs and Dutch goalkeeper Nick Marsman weren’t either included either since they won’t join the team until the summer.

Inter Miami’s first two signings, Matías Pellegrini and Julain Carranza, have a guaranteed compensation of $920,833 and $750,000, respectively.

Pellegrini, 21, is on loan to Inter Miami’s USL League One team Fort Lauderdale CF, while Carranza, 20, has yet to make an appearance for the team this year after scoring two goals in 16 matches for Inter Miami last year.

The average base salary for senior roster, non-designated players is $398,725.

The remainder of Inter Miami players’ guaranteed compensation for 2021: Gregore ($651,000); Nico Figal ($630,000); Lewis Morgan ($553,125); Ryan Shawcross ($307,500); Kelvin Leerdam ($297,625); Joevin Jones ($273,900); Victor Ulloa ($220,000); Jay Chapman ($180,333); Christian Makoun ($175,000); Robbie Robinson ($170,000); John McCarthy ($136,583); Brek Shea ($135,000); Drake Callender ($120,000); Dylan Castanheira ($81,375); Federico Higuaín ($81,375); George Acosta ($81,375); Josh Penn ($63,547); Ian Fray ($63,547); Edison Azcona ($63,547); Felipe Valencia ($63,547).