Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer following contract extension details released by the MLS Players Association. Multiple outlets report that Messi’s annual base salary is $25 million (about £18.5 million), which is more than double the pay of the next-highest earner in the league. The figures cited across reports place Son Heung-min of LAFC as the second-highest paid player, with a base salary figures reported around $10 million to $11.2 million.
The salary list is tied to Messi’s October contract extension with Inter Miami, which keeps him at the club through the 2028 season. While outlets emphasize the base salary figure of $25 million, one report also states that the overall agreement includes $28.3 million in guaranteed compensation. Another outlet additionally frames Messi’s earnings in relation to MLS club spending, saying his salary exceeds the payrolls of most of the league’s other teams.
Messi, who turns 39 next month, is therefore still the top earner in MLS on the union’s latest salary figures.
