Beckham tops payroll anew in US football

NEW YORK – David Beckham tops Major League Soccer’s salary list again at $6.5 million – more than 43 times the league’s average – even though he’ll remain on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy to AC Milan until midseason.

Beckham’s guaranteed income dwarfs the league average, which rose 14 percent to $147,945 from the start of last season following a 12 percent rise in 2008. As part of Sunday’s agreement to extend his loan through the end of the Serie A season, the 33-year-old midfielder and AC Milan are jointly paying the Galaxy in a “multimillion dollar deal,” according to the MLS team.

Just seven players in MLS top $500,000, according to figures released by the league’s players union. Chicago’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco remained second at $2.94 million and New York’s Juan Pablo Angel third at $1.8 millioN. (AP)