Miami’s Argentina international earns more than twice as much as the second highest-paid player in Major League Soccer.
Published May 13, 2026
Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer, with an annual base salary of $25 million, more than twice that of the next highest-paid player, Son Heung-min, according to the MLS Players Association.
According to figures released on Tuesday, Messi’s base salary will double and he will receive $28.3 million in guaranteed compensation over the course of his contract.
The association’s latest player salary list reflects the contract extension Messi signed with Inter Miami in October, which will keep him with the Florida team through the 2028 season.
Son, a South Korean star and former Tottenham captain who signed with Los Angeles FC for a transfer fee of $26 million, the highest in MLS history, in August last year, has a base salary of $10.36 million and total guaranteed compensation of $11.2 million.
Messi’s salary does not include income from sponsorship deals and does not reflect his option to take a stake in the Florida franchise, which he co-owns with David Beckham, when he joins in 2023.
The 38-year-old Messi, expected to be the leader of Argentina’s defense of their World Cup title starting next month, has scored 59 goals in 64 MLS regular season games with Miami. Last season, he led the league in goals with 29 and was named Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row.
Messi’s Inter Miami and Argentina teammate Rodrigo de Paul is third on the list with $9.7 million in guaranteed compensation.
Mexico’s Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is fourth on the list with $9.3 million, but he hasn’t played in San Diego since November.
Atlanta’s Miguel Almiron rounds out the top five with $7.9 million in guaranteed compensation.
Miami’s $54.6 million salary is more than $20 million higher than second-place LAFC’s $32.7 million and nearly five times Philadelphia’s league-low salary of $11.7 million. Miami’s payroll is up from $46.8 million at the beginning of last season.
The league’s total compensation is listed at $631 million, with average guaranteed compensation of $688,816, an 8.9 percent increase from the numbers announced last October.
