Kevin Doyle earns three-times more than Ashley Cole in the MLS

Doyle earns more than the three-time Premier League, seven-time FA Cup, one-time Champions League winner and international centurion.

The MLS' annual release of players' wage details has showed that Republic of Ireland international striker Kevin Doyle is the 26th highest paid footballer in America, writes Stephen Barry.

The Wexford native has scored 13 goals in 51 appearances for Colorado Rapids since signing two years ago, and is currently on "guaranteed compensation" of $1,045,000 (€960,000).

That puts Doyle almost three times ahead of a three-time Premier League, seven-time FA Cup and one-time Champions League winner in Ashley Cole.

Cole, three years Doyle's senior, joined Robbie Keane's then-club LA Galaxy in January 2016, but hasn't been declared a Designated Player - which allows clubs to pay players outside of the team's salary cap.

So while Cole's teammates Giovani dos Santos ($5.5million) and Romain Alessandrini ($2million) receive multi-million dollar wages, Cole is on $377,625 (€350,000).

Orlando City's Kaka is the league's best-paid player, with a guaranteed $7.17million (€6.6million) to his name.

Big spenders Toronto account for second and third on the list, in Sebastian Giovinco ($7.12 million) and Michael Bradley ($6.5 million), followed by New York City's stars Andrea Pirlo ($5.9 million) and David Villa ($5.6 million).

Next up on the 'rich list' are Dos Santos and Chicago Fire's new arrival Bastian Schweinsteiger ($5.4 million).

Toronto's Jozy Altidore ($4.9 million), Seattle Sounders' Clint Dempsey ($3.9 million) and Portland Timbers' Diego Valeri ($2.6 million) round out the top ten.

At the other end of the scale, 44 players draw the league's minimum wage of $53,004 (€48,700) per year.