Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi is the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer with total guaranteed compensation of $20.45 million, according to data released by the MLS Players Association.
The amount reflects only the playing portion of Messi's compensation, and the Argentine will also benefit from other sources of income, such as his sponsorship deal with Adidas and a revenue-sharing deal with Apple, the league's streaming partner.
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According to Sportico, Messi will earn up to $150 million over the life of the two-and-a-half-year contract he signed with Miami and MLS last year.
Toronto FC forward Lorenzo Insigne came in second with guaranteed compensation of $15.44 million, followed by Messi's Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets with $8.77 million.
Chicago Fire forward Xherdan Shaqiri, the league's top earner at this time a year ago, is in fourth place with $8.15 million, followed by Austin FC forward Sebastian Driussi with $6.72 million.
MLSPA salary figures are as of April 25, 2024.
The extent of Miami's overspending is confirmed when one looks at total guaranteed compensation per team.
The Herons brought in a staggering $41.68 million, which is not only a league record, but more than double the amount of all but three teams.
Toronto's outlay is $31.41 million, followed by Chicago with $25.13 million, Nashville SC with $21.4 million and FC Cincinnati (winners of last year's Supporters' Shield) with $18.71. millions of dollars.
Reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew are in 21st place with a payroll of $15.19 million, while St. Louis City ($11.79 million) and CF Montréal ($12.05 million) dollars) have the lowest payrolls.
The average guaranteed compensation for the entire player pool is $594,390, up 12.4% from the spring 2023 mark of $528,984.
In a sign of how high league salaries have become, the median salary increased just 4.8% from $294,500 this time a year ago to $308,750 now. In total, 115 players have guaranteed compensation of at least $1 million.
MLS and MLSPA are in the fourth year of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was agreed to in February 2021. The current CBA extends through the end of the 2027 season.
Here is the total guaranteed compensation per team:
1. Inter Miami: $41.68 million
2. Toronto FC: $31.41 million
3. Chicago Fire: $25.13 million
4. Nashville SC: $21.4 million
5. FC Cincinnati: $18.71 million
6. Austin FC: $18.41 million
7. New England Revolution: $18.32 million
8. Los Angeles Galaxy: $17.93 million
9. New York Red Bulls: $17.11 million
10. Houston Dynamo: $16.77 million
11. Atlanta United: $16.66 million
12. Seattle Sounders: $16.58 million
13. New York FC: $16.54 million
14. Colorado Rapids: $16.33 million
15. FC Dallas: $16.23 million
16. DC United: $16.17 million
17. LAFC – $15.9 million
18. Sporting Kansas City: $15.87 million
19. Portland Timbers: $15.37 million
20. Vancouver Whitecaps: $15.2 million
21. Columbus team: $15.19 million
22. City of Orlando: $15.07 million
23. Minnesota United: $14.91 million
24. Philadelphia Union: $14.82 million
25. Charlotte FC: $14.53 million
26. San José earthquakes: $13.63 million
27. Real Salt Lake: $13.6 million
28. CF Montreal – $12.05 million
29. City of San Luis: $11.79 million
