Unsurprisingly, global footballing superstar Lionel Messi is the highest-paid player in the Major League Soccer (MLS) ranks – shocking stuff.
Major League Soccer Players’ Association’s (MLSPA) latest salary dump confirms what everyone already knew: the Argentine magician pockets $20.45 million annually in guaranteed compensation.
That’s just the baseline figure, mind you, excluding his Adidas deal and Apple TV revenue share that could push his total package north of $150 million over his Miami stint, according to Sportico.
Inter Miami have predictably emerged as the league’s biggest spenders at $46.84 million – $5 million more than their own record from last spring. The Herons’ payroll dwarfs nearly everyone else, sitting more than double all but two clubs in the 30-team league.
Toronto FC ($34.15m) and Atlanta United ($27.63m) round out the podium, followed by FC Cincinnati ($23.18m) and reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy ($22.87m).
The numbers, current as of May 2025, reveal a league where the salary floor is rising. Average guaranteed compensation jumped 9.22% to $649,199, while the median climbed 10.1% to $339,876 – decent news for the players who make up MLS’s backbone.
A total of 131 players now earn at least $1 million guaranteed, up from 115 last year. Below is the pecking order from the penthouse to the outhouse.
The gap between Miami’s star-studded squad and the penny-pinching operations at the bottom tells the story of a league still finding its financial identity.
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