Messi Lands Massive MLS Pay Rise As Miami Continue Financial Domination

• Lionel Messi remains MLS’ highest-paid player after receiving a substantial salary increase with Inter Miami.
• Inter Miami’s wage bill is now comfortably the biggest in the league, more than double most rivals.
• Son Heung-min and Rodrigo De Paul sit behind Messi among Major League Soccer’s top earners.

Lionel Messi has spent three years reshaping Major League Soccer on and off the pitch. Now the numbers underline just how enormous his presence has become.

Figures released by the MLS Players Association show the Inter Miami forward remains the league’s highest-paid player for a third consecutive season, this time with a considerable increase in guaranteed compensation.

Messi’s playing salary for 2026 stands at $28.33 million, up significantly from the $20.45 million he earned in 2025. And even those extraordinary figures only tell part of the story.

The salary released by the union reflects football earnings alone. Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas revealed earlier this year that Messi’s total annual income, including commercial agreements and wider arrangements tied to the club, sits somewhere between $70 million and $80 million.

There is also an expectation that Messi will eventually receive an ownership stake in Inter Miami once his playing career ends, further strengthening a relationship that has transformed both club and league since his arrival.

Last October, Messi signed a contract extension keeping him with Miami through the 2028 season, ending any lingering uncertainty over his future.

The gap between Messi and the rest of MLS remains enormous.

Lionel Messi sits alone at the top of the earnings list, while Son Heung-min ranks second after joining Los Angeles FC on a guaranteed compensation package worth $11.15 million.

Messi’s teammate Rodrigo De Paul is third at $9.6 million, underlining Inter Miami’s financial muscle and growing South American influence.

One of the more curious entries comes via Hirving Lozano. The San Diego forward ranks fourth in MLS earnings despite failing to play a single minute this season after being frozen out by the club.

Further down the list, Miguel Almirón completes the top five earners at Atlanta United FC.

The wider financial picture across the league remains striking.

Inter Miami CF now carry a guaranteed compensation bill of $54.57 million, extending the league spending record they established a year ago. That figure is more than double the payroll of almost every other club in MLS.

Only Los Angeles FC and Atlanta United come remotely close, with wage commitments of $32.65 million and $27.88 million respectively.

At the opposite end of the scale, Philadelphia Union remain the league’s lowest spenders despite their recent success on the pitch.

The average guaranteed compensation across MLS has risen to $688,816, reflecting continued financial growth within the league, though the rise in median salary has slowed compared to previous years.

There are now 133 players earning at least $1 million annually in MLS, a slight increase from last season.

The figures arrive during an important transitional period for the league. MLS and the Players Association are currently operating under a collective bargaining agreement that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign, though changes may emerge with the competition preparing to move towards a summer-to-spring calendar format.

For now, though, one thing remains unchanged.

Messi still towers over MLS in every sense — competitively, commercially and financially.