In the twilight of his career, Messi still earns the most in MLS

VHO - Inter Miami's Lionel Messi continues to hold the position of the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer (MLS) for the second consecutive year, with a total guaranteed income of up to 20.45 million USD, according to figures recently released by the MLS Players Association (MLSPA).

At the age of 37, Messi still earns more than 20 million USD from salary.

As in previous years, this figure only reflects the playing portion of his income. The Argentine superstar also benefits from other sources of income, such as an endorsement deal with Adidas and a revenue-sharing agreement with Apple, MLS's broadcasting partner.

According to Sportico, Messi could earn up to $150 million over the course of the two-and-a-half-year contract he signed with Inter Miami and MLS in the summer of 2023.

Behind Messi is Toronto FC striker Lorenzo Insigne, with a guaranteed salary of $15.44 million, followed by Messi’s Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets with $8.5 million. Fourth place goes to Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United) with $7.87 million, while San Diego FC newcomer Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is fifth with $7.63 million.

Teams with the highest payrolls in MLS:

Inter Miami: $46.84 million

Toronto FC: $34.15 million

Atlanta United: $27.63 million

FC Cincinnati: $23.18 million

LA Galaxy: $22.87 million

Teams with the lowest payrolls in MLS:

CF Montréal: $11.99 million

Philadelphia Union: $13.37 million

Real Salt Lake: $13.41 million

Houston Dynamo: $13.41 million

Minnesota United: $13.80 million

MLSPA figures are valid through May 25, 2025. The organization typically releases player salaries twice a year. Two years ago, Insigne was the highest-paid player in MLS, just months before Messi arrived in the league.

Inter Miami continues to outpace the rest of the league in total guaranteed salary for its squad. Their total payroll is $46.84 million, $5 million more than the record they set a year ago. That’s double what most other teams spend.

Average salary increases sharply, million dollar players are increasing

The average guaranteed salary for all MLS players is now $649,199, up 9.22% from $594,390 in the spring of 2024. The median salary also increased 10.1%, from $308,750 to $339,876.

As of now, there are 131 MLS players with guaranteed salaries of $1 million or more, compared to 115 at the same time last year.

MLS and the MLSPA are now entering the fifth year of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in February 2021. The current agreement runs through the 2027 season.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/xe-chieu-su-nghiep-messi-van-kiem-nhieu-nhat-mls-146275.html