Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer with an annual base salary of $25 million — more than twice as much as the next-highest paid player Son Heung-min, the MLS Players Association said Tuesday.
The union’s latest list of player salaries reflected the contract extension Messi signed with Inter Miami in October which will keep him with the Florida outfit through the 2028 campaign. According to the figures, Messi’s base salary has doubled while overall the deal will see him make $28.3 million in guaranteed compensation.
South Korea star Son, the former Tottenham captain who signed with Los Angeles FC last August for a reported MLS record $26 million transfer fee, has a base salary of $10.36 million with total guaranteed compensation of $11.2 million.
The salaries do not include income from endorsement deals, nor does Messi’s compensation reflect his option to acquire a stake in the Florida franchise — co-owned by David Beckham — which he joined in 2023.
