Former Liverpool Star Becomes the Highest Paid Player in the MLS

Major League Soccer has grown a lot in the past few years with superstars like David Beckham and Thierry Henry gracing the league. Like them, former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star Xherdan Shaqiri was the next European star who made a move to America.

Shaqiri left the French club Lyon, after joining them just eight months before from Liverpool, to play with Chicago Fire FC in February. The Swiss forward has played nine games in the MLS and has already scored two goals along with an assist.

He’s also earning a lot of money for his efforts in the States.

Xherdan Shaqiri and his wages

The MLS Players Association released a report on the salary data of MLS players. Xherdan Shaqiri was revealed to be the highest earner in the MLS, slightly ahead of LA Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez. Shaqiri will earn a guaranteed $8.15 million for his services for Chicago Fire FC.

However, Shaqiri’s transfer was overshadowed by the impending arrival of Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne. His salary isn’t known yet and the Italian winger will only join Toronto FC after July 7. However, one would assume that Insigne will also earn a fair amount given his stature.

Regardless, Shaqiri has done well for himself after leaving Lyon.

Shaqiri and his time at Liverpool and Bayern Munich

Shaqiri has had a very fantastic career in Europe with teams like Liverpool and Bayern Munich. He has won the UEFA Champions League two times, once with Liverpool and once with Bayern. While he wasn’t a part of the starting eleven for either team, he did provide some useful cover off the bench.

During his time with Liverpool (which included a Premier League title in 2020), Shaqiri managed to score 22 goals and 20 assists in 129 appearances. However, most of them came as a substitute, as the Swiss star was behind Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in the pecking order.

Still, he managed to have his moments for the club and he’ll now be in the spotlight for Chicago. The first few games have gone well for the Switzerland international, and it’ll be interesting to see how it goes from here.

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