According to the latest official salary figures from the Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA), Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in the league by a significant margin. The 38-year-old Inter Miami forward is guaranteed $28.3 million (approximately €24.1 million) in total compensation, with a base salary of $25 million. This dwarfs the earnings of other top players in the league.
Messi’s guaranteed compensation is nearly triple the combined salaries of German stars Thomas Müller and Timo Werner. Müller, now with the Vancouver Whitecaps, earns a guaranteed $5.15 million (€4.4 million) after a contract restructuring in 2026. Werner, who recently joined the San Jose Earthquakes, is guaranteed $4.3 million (€3.7 million). Together, their total is less than one-third of Messi’s earnings.
The next highest earners in the MLS are Heung-min Son (Los Angeles FC), Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami), and Hirving Lozano (San Diego FC), each earning between $9.3 million and $11.1 million in guaranteed compensation. Their combined salaries—$30.1 million—are only slightly above Messi’s individual total.
German top earner in the league remains Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC, who is guaranteed $5.4 million, just ahead of Müller. Meanwhile, Marco Reus of LA Galaxy earns significantly less at around $902,000 in guaranteed compensation, down from $1.1 million the previous year, due to the limited Designated Player slots available when he joined in 2024.
Among American players, the highest-paid is Josh Sargent of Toronto FC, who receives a guaranteed $5.27 million this season after his record club transfer from Norwich City.
It’s worth noting that the MLSPA figures only include base salary and guaranteed compensation within the league’s salary cap. Bonuses and third-party endorsement deals—such as those that reportedly push Messi’s total earnings to $130 million per Forbes estimates—are not included in these official numbers.
