Messi tops MLS pay chart with $25m salary, outpacing Son Heung-min

LOS ANGELES – Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer (MLS), earning a base salary of $25 million per year, more than twice the income of the league’s second-highest earner, the latest salary figures released by the MLS Players Association revealed. The updated salary list reflects Messi’s contract extension with Inter Miami, signed in October, which will keep him at the club until the 2028 season. Under the revised deal, his total guaranteed compensation has risen to $28.3 million annually. South Korean forward Son Heung-min, who joined Los Angeles FC last August in a high-profile transfer reportedly worth a record MLS fee, ranks second on the list. He earns a base salary of $10.36 million, with total guaranteed compensation of $11.2 million. The figures released by the players’ union do not include endorsement income or other commercial earnings. Messi’s compensation also does not account for a reported option allowing him to acquire a stake in Inter Miami, which he joined in 2023. The 38-year-old Argentine captain has been in outstanding form since arriving in the United States, scoring 59 goals in 64 MLS regular-season matches for Inter Miami. He was the league’s top scorer last season with 29 goals and also secured the Most Valuable Player award for the second consecutive year. Messi’s Inter Miami teammate and Argentina international Rodrigo De Paul is third on the salary chart with $9.7 million in guaranteed compensation. Mexico’s Hirving “Chucky” Lozano ranks fourth with $9.3 million despite limited appearances for San Diego since November, while Atlanta United’s Miguel Almirón completes the top five with $7.9 million. Overall, MLS clubs have a combined player compensation bill of $631 million, with the average guaranteed salary rising to $688,816—an increase of 8.9 per cent compared to the previous report released in October. Anant Ambani gifts Lionel Messi rare watch worth $1.3 million