They’re two of the marquee names in Major League soccer, but Didier Drogba and Andrea Pirlo aren’t even half as valuable as Jozy Altidore.
Well, not quite, but the veteran pair make less than Altidore’s $4.75m annual MLS base salary between them – it just goes to show the power of being one of the most-capped USA internationals.
Drogba, who scored a hat-trick on his full debut for Montreal Impact, takes home a basic salary of just under $1.7m, while New York City FC midfielder Pirlo takes home $2m.
Altidore is one of three Toronto FC players among the top 10 earners, with only Sebastian Giovinco ($5.6m) and Michael Bradley ($6m) picking up a higher wage north of the USA-Canada border.
The 25-year-old striker, who has 85 US caps, scored just two Premier League goals across separate spells with Hull City and Sunderland.
Yet he takes home a bigger pay-packet than the likes of Robbie Keane ($4.5m), Giovani Dos Santos ($4m) and Clint Dempsey ($3.9m).
Here’s the Top 10 in full (guaranteed compensation for some players is higher than the base salary):
- Kaka – $6.66m
- Steven Gerrard – $6.2m
- Michael Bradley – $6m
- Frank Lampard – $6m
- David Villa – $5.61m
- Sebastian Giovinco – $5.6m
- Jozy Altidore – $4.75m
- Robbie Keane – $4.5m
- Giovani Dos Santos – $4m
- Clint Dempsey – $3.91m
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