The Major League Soccer Players' Union released the annual salaries of all contracted players and the statistics reveal A-League clubs may have been able to afford the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Didier Drogba.

Leading into a season without a high-profile marquee player across the competition, the wages of those in the US creates for a sense of a missed opportunity in Australian football and suggests money is not the only motivation for players.



The common perception is A-League clubs have been priced out of the market for high-profile stars by the cashed-up giants in China and the Middle East but it is now clear that's not always the case when it comes to North America.



It would have cost Sydney FC significantly less than the $4 million they paid Alessandro Del Piero in one season to sign two of their initial targets Didier Drogba and Andrea Pirlo who both now play in the MLS. Drogba was linked with both the Sky Blues and Western Sydney Wanderers before eventually moving to Montreal for $3 million per season while it cost New York City $3.5 million a season to prize Pirlo away from the A-League. Drogba cited distance from his family's home in London as one reason for looking to North America though it's said Pirlo was always open to following in the footsteps of Del Piero.

Australian fans will not see the Italian pass-master in the A-League this season, but it is just as much due to a lack of ambition and vision from key stakeholders as much as it is about the money offered by a club who share the same owners as Melbourne City. Sydney FC later stated their desire for a more attacking player to Pirlo and signed Slovak forward Filip Holosko as their marquee.