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Lionel Messi more than doubled his salary to $25 million in his new contract with Inter Miami and earns more than twice as much as Major League Soccer’s second-highest-paid player, Los Angeles FC’s Son Heung-min.
Messi’s new contract includes $25 million in base salary and $28,333,333 in guaranteed compensation, the MLS Players Association said Tuesday in its first salary release of 2026.
Miami’s $54.6 million payroll is more than $20 million higher than second-place LAFC’s at $32.7 million, and nearly five times more than Philadelphia’s $11.7 million. Miami’s payroll is up from $46.8 million at the start of last season.
Toronto reduced its payroll to $21.4 million from $34.1 million at the start of 2025, and LAFC increased its spending to $32.7 million from $22.4 million.
Total league compensation was $631 million and average guaranteed compensation of $688,816 on April 16 was up 8.9% from $632,809 last October 1.
Messi’s initial MLS contract, agreed to in July 2023, included a base salary of $12 million and annualized guaranteed compensation of $20,446,667. Messi agreed last October to a three-year contract through the 2028 season and then led the team to its first MLS title.
Messi, an attacker who will turn 39 next month, is the captain of defending World Cup champion Argentina and is expected to play in his sixth World Cup. Messi has 59 goals in 64 regular-season games with Miami, including nine in 11 games this season. He led MLS with 29 regular-season goals last season and won his second consecutive MVP award.
His salary figures are for his MLS contract and include any marketing bonuses and agent fees, but do not take into account any additional agreements with the team or its affiliates, or any performance bonuses.
Son ranks second with $10,368,750 in base salary and $11,152,852 in total compensation, the same numbers as last season. The 33-year-old winger joined Los Angeles last August.
Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, who signed with Miami last summer, is third with $7,569,000 in salary and $9,688,320 in total compensation, followed by Atlanta winger Miguel Almirón ($6,056,000, $7,871,000), San Diego winger Hirving Lozano ($6 million, $9,333,333), New York Red Bulls winger Emil Forsberg ($5,405,000, $6,035,625), Nashville forward Sam Surridge ($5.27 million, $5,933,000), LA Galaxy midfielder Rigui Puig ($5,125,000, $5,792,188), Vancouver forward Thomas Müller ($5,000,004, $5,152,504) and Chicago winger Jonathan Bamba ($5 million, $5,581,806).
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Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson led MLS players in the race for spots on the United States’ World Cup roster with $3.5 million in base salary and $3.95 million in total compensation, followed by New England goalkeeper Matt Turner ($1,776,136, $1,942,886), Seattle midfielder Crisitian Roldán ($1,645,000, $1,766,000), Charlotte midfielder Tim Ream ($1 million, $1,127,750), Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte ($900,000, $1,032,083), Columbus left back/winger Max Arfsten ($800,000, $895,000), New York City goalkeeper Matt Freese ($675,000, $795,833), Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano ($525,000, $574,000), Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna ($450,000, $500,833), Vancouver midfielder Sebastian Berhalter ($480,000) and Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady ($250,000, $348,333).
Newcomers to the league include Toronto forward Josh Sargent ($3.21 million, $5,265,667), San Jose forward Timo Werner ($3,738,872, $4,268,039), Salt Lake winger Morgan Guilavogui ($2.2 million, $2,225,500), Houston forward Guilherme ($1,528,572, $1,925,230), LAFC midfielder Stephen Eustagio ($1.8 million), DC forward Louis Munteanu ($1.19 million, $1,634,100) and Minnesota midfielder James Rodriguez ($684,000).
Information from The Associated Press.
