In terms of football, North America has been growing, producing some of the most renowned players in the world, who attracted special attention at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Christian Pulisic, one of several North American natives who have made it to the Premier League, is one of the most entertaining players the USA has produced over the years. He has dominated European football.
Even though just five players from the Americas make over £100,000 a week, their weekly salaries have unavoidably increased as a result of their increased notoriety on a global scale. As the USA, Canada, and Mexico try to establish themselves domestically, this is probably going to go up after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
There are some shocks among the top 15 highest-paid North American stars, particularly the involvement of two players vying for the EFL Championship, but there are also some well-known names. With seven appearances in the Premier League and representations in Serie A, Ligue 1, and the Saudi Pro League, Capology examines who in the prairies is making top cash.
15–11
Junior Firpo of Leeds United, Tyler Adams of Bournemouth, Chris Richards of Crystal Palace, and Sergino Dest of PSV
Chris Richards, who allegedly earns £55,000 a week at Crystal Palace, is at the top of our list. The 24-year-old American centre-back has been a dependable presence at the back for Oliver Glasner since joining the Eagles from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 for £11 million.
If it weren’t for his transfer to San Diego, an MLS team, Mexican winger Hirving Lozano would have been next on the list. Rather, Junior Firpo of Leeds United, a team vying for promotion in the EFL Championship, is in 14th place and receives £60,000 a week. With one goal and six assists in 18 league appearances, the Dominican left-back has been a standout for Daniel Farke’s Peacocks.
After missing nearly a year due to a hamstring injury, Tyler Adams, a former Leeds player, has recovered to become an important member of Bournemouth’s team under Andoni Iraola. The USMNT midfielder has been making £60,000 a week at the Vitality since joining the Cherries in a £20 million transfer two summers ago.
The USA is represented once more as Sergino Dest, who joined PSV Eindhoven as a free agent last summer after leaving Barcelona, where he lost favour with Hansi Flick’s predecessor Xavi, makes the top 15. Despite being sidelined due to an ACL injury, the Dutch-born right-back earns a cool £63,332 every week at Philips Arena.
Another Championship name on the list is Mason Holgate, a Jamaican defender currently on loan at West Bromwich Albion from Everton. He is by far the highest paid employee at the Hawthorns, earning an estimated £70,000 a week. They will be hoping that his experience will help them in their promotion campaign.
World’s Highest-Paid North American Players
Rank
The player
Club
Weekly Salary
11.
Holgate, Mason
West Brom (from Everton on loan)
£70,000
Twelve
Sergino Dest.
PSV Eindhoven
£63,332
13.
Adams, Tyler
The Bournemouth
£60,000
14
Firpo Junior
Leeds United
£60,000
15.
Richards, Chris
The Crystal Palace
£55,000
10–6
Demarai Grey (Al-Ettifaq), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Michail Antonio (West Ham), Mason Holgate (West Brom) and Santiago Gimenez (AC Milan)
In January 2024, AC Milan completed a £26.7 million (€32 million) deal with Feyenoord for Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez, who was playing well. Gimenez was born in Argentina. The 23-year-old is receiving £74,803 a week from the Serie A powerhouses, and they are hoping he will return the favour by scoring goals comparable to his 23 goals in 30 Eredivisie games from the previous campaign.
The Saudi Pro League is well known for paying hefty sums of money to attract well-known European players, and their acquisition of Jamaican winger Demarai Grey may be one example of that. Al-Ettifaq reportedly paid £8 million for the 28-year-old Birmingham native, who agreed to a four-year contract for £75,934 a week.
Christian Pulisic, the football poster child of the United States and possibly North America, has been tearing it up since moving from Chelsea to Milan for €22 million (£18.3 million), earning £82,881 a week at the San Siro. Since his arrival in July 2023, he has scored 27 goals and provided 18 assists. According to reports, the Rossoneri are seeking to extend his contract with a 20% pay raise.
With a weekly salary of £85,000, Michail Antonio has long been one of West Ham United’s most vital players. With 83 goals since moving to East London in September 2015, the veteran Jamaican striker, who was born in London, is currently recuperating from a broken leg sustained in a vehicle accident in the winter of 2024.
Folarin Balogun, an Arsenal youth graduate who has been making waves in Ligue 1 since departing the Emirates for AS Monaco in an initial £25.7 million deal in August 2023, is just missing out on the top five. The 23-year-old, who changed his nationality from England to the USA, has three of seven league appearances this season while earning £93,898 per week, and the Gunners are in need of a goal scorer.
World’s Highest-Paid North American Players
Rank
The player
Club
Weekly Salary
6.
Balogun Folarin
Monaco AS
£92,898
7.
Antonio Michail
United West Ham
£85,000.
8.
Pulisic, Christian
Milan AC
£82,881
9.
Demarai Grey
Al-Ettifaq
75,934
10.
Gimenez, Santiago
Milan AC
£74,803
5-1
West Ham’s Edson Alvarez, Fulham’s Raul Jimenez, Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey, San Diego FC’s Hirving Lozano, and Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies
After agreeing to a weekly salary of £100,000 at the London Stadium in the summer of 2023, Antonio’s colleague Edson Alvarez breaks into the top five and the six-figure club. The Mexican holding midfielder cost £35.4 million to sign from Ajax to replace Declan Rice, but he has struggled with injuries while playing for the Hammers.
Fulham striker Raul Jimenez, who has been a pain for opposing defenders this season, is another Premier League player to earn £100,000 a week. After a successful stint at Wolverhampton Wanderers before joining the Cottagers for a pittance of £5.5 million two summers ago, Alvarez’s countryman has scored nine goals in 24 league appearances and is still making an impression in the English top division.
Leon Bailey, who earns an incredible £120,000 a week at Aston Villa, is the highest-paid player in the world’s most lucrative football league. After joining Villa Park for £25 million from Bayer Leverkusen over four years ago, the Jamaican winger was excellent, but this season he has somewhat faltered. Because of his lightning-fast speed, he remains one of Europe’s most admired strikers, and last month, Manchester United reportedly considered making a move to buy him.
Hirving Lozano, who left PSV for San Diego for almost $12 million (£9.6 million) in the closing days of the January transfer window, is one of the major influencers of the North American top-paid player rankings. One of the most paid players in Major League Soccer, he reportedly receives a salary of $7-9 million (£5.6-7.2 million) annually, which, if the higher figure is taken, equates to about $170,000 (£137,400) each week.
Alphonso Davies, who is only 24 years old, has already established himself as one of the greatest attacking full-backs in football history, so there was no doubt that he would succeed. The Canadian joined Bayern Munich in January 2019 after signing a £9.84 million contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps, an MLS team.
Last week, Davies signed a new long-term contract with Bayern, increasing his income to £242,342 per week at the Allianz Arena, putting an end to months of speculation over his future. After turning down a move to Real Madrid, he will also receive performance-related bonuses and a signing bonus. The quick full-back, a five-time Bundesliga champion, has blazed to glory in Munich and to the top of the North American football salary rankings.
World’s Highest-Paid North American Players
Rank
The player
Club
Weekly Salary
One
Davies, Alphonso
The Bayern Munich
£242,342
2.
Lozano Hirving
FC San Diego
£137,400
3.
Bailey, Leon
Villa Aston
£120,000
4.
Jimenez Raul
Fulham
£100,000
5.
Alvarez Edson
United West Ham
£100,000
