Messi doubles MLS base salary to make $28m a year at Inter Miami

Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer with an annual base salary of $25m, more than twice as much as the next-highest-paid player, Son Heung-min, the MLS Players Association says.

According to the figures released on Tuesday, Messi’s base salary has doubled, while overall the deal will see him make $28.3m in guaranteed compensation.

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.

South Korea star Son, the former Tottenham captain who signed with Los Angeles FC last August for a reported MLS record $26m transfer fee, has a base salary of $10.36m, with total guaranteed compensation of $11.2m.

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.

The 38-year-old Messi, who is expected to lead Argentina’s World Cup title defence starting next month, has 59 goals in 64 MLS regular-season games with Miami. He led the league with 29 goals last season and was named Most Valuable Player for the second straight season.

Messi’s Inter Miami and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul is third on the list with $9.7m in guaranteed compensation.

Mexico’s Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is fourth on the list with $9.3m, although he has not featured for San Diego since November.

Atlanta’s Miguel Almiron rounds out the top five with guaranteed compensation of $7.9m.

Miami’s $54.6m payroll is more than $20m higher than LAFC, which is second at $32.7m, and nearly five times as much as Philadelphia’s league-low $11.7m. Miami’s payroll is up from $46.8m at the start of last season.

Total league compensation was listed at $631m, with the average guaranteed compensation $688,816, an 8.9 percent rise from figures released last October.