Lionel Messimore than doubled his salary to $25 million in his new contract with Inter Miami and earns more than twice as much as the second-highest-paid player in Major League Soccer, 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 release of 2026 salaries.
Miami’s $54.6 million payroll is more than $20 million higher than LAFC, which is second at $32.7 million, and nearly five times as much as Philadelphia’s league-low $11.7 million. Miami’s payroll is up from $46.8 million at the start of last season.
Toronto cut payroll to $21.4 million from $34.1 million at the start of 2025, and LAFC boosted its spending to $32.7 million from $22.4 million.
Total league compensation was $631 million and the average guaranteed compensation of $688,816 on April 16 was up 8.9% from $632,809 as of last Oct. 1.
Messi’s initial MLS contract, agreed to in July 2023, included a $12 million base salary and annualized guaranteed compensation of $20,446,667. Messi agreed last October to a three-year contract through the 2028 season, then led the team to its first MLS title.
An attacker who turns 39 next month, Messi is 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 matches this season. He led MLS with 29 regular-season goals last season and won his second straight MVP award.
His salary figures are for his MLS contract and include any marketing bonus and agent’s fees but do not account for any additional agreements with the team or its affiliates, or for any performance bonuses.
Son is second at $10,368,750 in base salary and $11,152,852 in total compensation, the same as his figures last season. The 33-year-old winger joined LA last August.
Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, who signed with Miami last summer, is third at $7,569,000 in salary and $9,688,320 in total compensation, followed by Atlanta winger Miguel Almiron ($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 attacker 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 topped MLS players in contention for spots on the U.S. World Cup roster at $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 Roldan ($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), D.C. forward Louis Munteanu ($1.19 million, $1,634,100) and Minnesota midfielder James Rodriguez ($684,000).
Reporting by The Associated Press.
