What is Clint Dempsey's Net Worth and Salary?
Clint Dempsey is a retired American soccer player who has a net worth of $16 million. Clint Dempsey played in both the UK's Premier League and the US's MLS, as well as for the US men's national team. Across his seven seasons with the Premier League's Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, he scored a total of 72 goals, the most by any American in a top European league. Back in the US, Dempsey led the Seattle Sounders to the Supporters' Shield in 2014.
Contracts, Salary, and Career Earnings
Dempsey was able to command significant salaries throughout his career. His first big contract came in 2007 when he signed with Fulham for a then-record transfer fee for an American player of $4 million. Dempsey continued to excel at Fulham, and in August 2012, he signed with Tottenham Hotspur for a reported fee of $9.6 million, further boosting his salary.
At the peak of time in the English Premier League, Clint's salary was $8 million per season. That made him the highest paid American soccer player in a European league.
Upon returning to Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2013, Dempsey signed with the Seattle Sounders as a Designated Player, earning an annual salary of around $4.6 million, which made him one of the highest-paid players in the league. Over the course of his entire career, Clint Dempsey's total earnings from contracts and salaries are estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars, not including income from endorsements and sponsorships.
Early Life and Playing
Clint Dempsey was born on March 9, 1983 in Nacogdoches, Texas. For much of his childhood, he grew up in a trailer park with his siblings, and would play soccer with the many Hispanic immigrants in the area. As a teenager, Dempsey played in a local league that was predominantly Mexican. When his older brother Ryan went to try out for the Dallas Texans youth soccer club, Dempsey went along and was noticed and recruited by the team. He quickly became a standout player with the Texans, serving as the team's captain and high-scorer. However, he had to quit prematurely due to financial struggles. Dempsey went on to play soccer at Furman University.
New England Revolution
In the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, Dempsey was chosen eighth overall by the New England Revolution. He went on to have an excellent rookie season, scoring seven goals and leading his team to the Eastern Conference Finals. Dempsey was named MLS Rookie of the Year for his performance. He continued his success the next season with ten goals in 26 games, including the game-winning goal in the Eastern Conference Final en route to the MLS Cup. Dempsey missed significant playtime in 2006 due to injury, but was able to come on as a substitute in the Revolution's second-consecutive MLS Cup appearance.
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Fulham
In early 2007, Dempsey was transferred to the Premier League club Fulham in a $4 million deal, the most ever for an MLS player. He scored his first goal for the club in May in a home win over Liverpool. Dempsey had a solid 2007-08 season, finishing as Fulham's top Premier League goalscorer with six goals. The following season, he scored his first FA Cup goal in a home win over Swansea City. For the second-consecutive season, Dempsey finished as Fulham's top Premier League goalscorer, this time tied with Andrew Johnson. Those goals helped the club reach seventh place in the Premier League, the highest placement in Fulham's history. In the 2009-10 season, Dempsey and Fulham played in the newly formed UEFA Europa League and reached the final; this made Dempsey the first American ever to appear in a major European final. Ultimately, Fulham lost to Atlético Madrid.
Dempsey recorded a major achievement in the 2010-11 season: he became the first American player ever to score 10 goals in a Premier League season. The following season, he became the most prolific US goalscorer in Premier League history, and became only the second American to record a hat-trick in the FA Cup. Moreover, Dempsey became the first American ever to score a Premier League hat-trick. He concluded his tenure with Fulham with a total of 33 Premier League goals, the most ever for the club by a single player.
Tottenham Hotspur
Dempsey was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in 2012. He scored his first goal for the club in a win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Tottenham ultimately made it to the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals against FC Basel, eventually losing on penalties and being eliminated from the tournament.
Seattle Sounders
In 2013, Dempsey returned to the US to sign with the Seattle Sounders. Early the next year, he went on loan to Fulham. Returning again to the US, Dempsey scored a hat-trick against the Portland Timbers in the MLS season opener in March. He continued to have an exceptional season, posting MLS career highs of 15 goals and 10 assists and helping the Seattle Sounders win the Supporters' Shield. Dempsey played well over the subsequent seasons until he was sidelined with an irregular heartbeat in 2016. Although some wondered if this would end his career, Dempsey was eventually given the go-ahead and returned in time for the 2017 season. In that season, the final one of his career, he scored 12 goals.
International Playing
On the global stage, Dempsey represented the US men's national soccer team starting in 2003 at the FIFA World Youth Championship. He went on to make his first appearance with the senior team in 2004. The year after that, Dempsey played his first international tournament, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which the US won. He subsequently played in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where he was the only American to score a goal. In 2007, Dempsey helped the US win another Gold Cup; he would help the team win another in 2017.
Among his other major international tournaments, Dempsey played with the US national team in the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. In the 2009 Confederations Cup, the US made it to the final, but lost to Brazil. Dempsey's greatest international performance was arguably in the 2014 World Cup, where he scored one of the fastest goals in World Cup history, at 29 seconds into a match against Ghana. With his goal against Portugal in the next match, Dempsey reached a total of four goals across three World Cups, the second most of any American player.
Personal Life
With his wife Bethany, Dempsey has five children. The family resides in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
