Lorenzo Insigne is MLS highest paid player and makes $14M more than Gareth Bale

After waiting more than six months Toronto FC have their man as Lorenzo Insigne is officially at BMO Field. Yesterday the 31-year-old Italian national team player took questions from the press and revealed his desire to make a big splash in MLS.

For Toronto FC it was the culmination of a process which began at the end of last season and “kicked off” with a pre-contract signed in January. “We have a lot of ambition at our club and we’re really looking over these next four or five years for Lorenzo to be a foundational piece” Toronto FC president Bill Manning stated.

Lorenzo Insigne not only is MLS highest paid player but could unofficially have signed the biggest contract in league history. Here is where Lorenzo Insigne stacks up with the other big contracts in MLS.

Lorenzo Insigne MLS highest paid player

While MLS contracts are a “work of art” so to speak, with compensation coming in from other areas besides base salaries, Lorenzo Insigne signed a four-year deal worth a reported $15 million a season. When compared to what Gareth Bale is reported to be earning on his player’s contract it is nearly $14 million more, as Bale is set to earn below $1.6 million on his 1-year deal with LAFC.

Xherdan Shaqiri, who plays for the bewildered Chicago Fire is at $8.1 million, Javier Hernández who plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy is at $6 million, and Gonzalo Higuaín who has largely disappointed at Inter Miami is at $5.8 million.

When it comes to other major players in MLS, Josef Martínez of Atlanta United is at $4.1 million, playmaker Carles Gil is at $3.5 million, and Nicolás Lodeiro is on $3.2 million.

Early 2022 MLS MVP candidate Sebastián Driussi is on $2.3 million, MLS highest incoming transfer player ever Argentine Thiago Almada is on $2.3 Million with Valentín “Taty” Castellanos the league’s golden boot in 2021, at a bargain $1 million a year.