Messi's salary higher than budgets of 21 MLS teams combined

By Hong Duy June 28, 2025 | 04:00 am PT

Messi celebrates after scoring the opening goal in Inter Miami's 4-2 win over Montreal in MLS on May 29, 2025. Photo by Inter Miami

Lionel Messi remains Major League Soccer's (MLS) highest-paid player for the third consecutive year, with an annual base salary exceeding US$20 million.

MLS Players Association (MLSPA) announced on Wednesday that Messi's base salary stands at $20.45 million, surpassing the total salary budgets of 21 of the 30 teams in the league, according to data accurate as of May 25.

This figure does not include Messi's additional income sources, such as his endorsement deal with Adidas and a revenue-sharing arrangement with MLS's broadcasting partner, Apple.

Sportico reports that Messi could earn up to $150 million over 2.5 years of his contract with Inter Miami and MLS, which he joined in the summer of 2023.

Toronto FC forward Lorenzo Insigne ranks second with a base salary of $15.44 million. Messi's Inter Miami teammate, Sergio Busquets, follows with $8.5 million, while Atlanta United's Miguel Almiron earns $7.87 million and San Diego FC's Hirving Lozano receives $7.63 million.

Inter Miami continue to lead MLS in total payroll, with $46.84 million in player salaries per season, surpassing their own league-record payroll set last year by $5 million.

This figure is more than double the payrolls of most other teams, with the exceptions of Toronto ($34.15 million) and Atlanta United FC ($27.63 million). FC Cincinnati are next with $23.18 million, while reigning MLS champions LA Galaxy have a payroll of $22.87 million.

CF Montreal has the lowest payroll in the league at $11.99 million, while teams such as Philadelphia Union ($13.37 million), Real Salt Lake ($13.41 million), Houston Dynamo ($13.41 million) and Minnesota United ($13.8 million) also rank among the lowest.

The average base salary for all MLS players is $649,199 per season, marking a 9.22% increase from $594,390 in 2024. The overall average salary has also risen by 10.1%, from $308,750 to $339,876. Currently, 131 players have a base salary of at least $1 million, compared to 115 players last year.

The MLSPA salary data, as of May 25, 2025, reflects the state of the league's earnings. In 2023, just before Messi's arrival in Miami, Insigne was the highest-paid player in the league.

MLS and MLSPA are currently in the fifth year of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in February 2021, which runs through the end of the 2027 season.