Lionel Messi is earning more than any other Major League Soccer player — and it is not even close. His new contract with Inter Miami has pushed his guaranteed compensation to $28,333,333, roughly Rs 267 crore, making him the undisputed highest-paid player in the league by a massive margin.
The figures were confirmed by the MLS Players Association in its first salary release of 2026.
Messi Earns More Than Double the Second-Highest Paid MLS Player
The gap between Messi and the rest of the league is extraordinary. His base salary alone stands at $25 million. The second-highest earner in MLS is Los Angeles FC winger Son Heung-min, who takes home $11,152,852 in total guaranteed compensation — less than half of what Messi earns. Rodrigo de Paul, Messi’s former Argentina teammate who joined Miami last summer, sits third at $9,688,320 in total compensation.
Other notable earners include Atlanta’s Miguel Almirón at around $7.8 million, San Diego’s Hirving Lozano at $9.3 million, and Vancouver’s Thomas Müller at just over $5.1 million. None come close to Messi’s figures.
Inter Miami’s Payroll Dwarfs Every Other MLS Club
Messi’s contract is not just a personal milestone — it has pushed Inter Miami’s total payroll to $54.6 million for 2026. That figure is more than $20 million ahead of second-placed LAFC, which spends $32.7 million. Philadelphia Union sit at the bottom with the league’s lowest payroll at $11.7 million.
Miami’s spending has climbed significantly. At the start of last season, the club’s payroll stood at $46.8 million. The additions of Rodrigo de Paul and others, combined with Messi’s new deal, have pushed costs even higher. The league’s total compensation across all clubs reached $631 million, with average guaranteed compensation per player rising nearly nine percent year-on-year to $688,816.
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Messi’s On-Field Output Justifies Every Rupee
The money reflects results. Messi signed his original MLS contract in July 2023 on a base salary of $12 million. He then agreed last October to a three-year extension running through the 2028 season. Since then, he led Inter Miami to their first-ever MLS title.
In 64 regular-season games with Miami, Messi has scored 59 goals. This season alone, he has nine goals in 11 matches. Last season, he led the entire league with 29 regular-season goals and picked up his second straight MLS Most Valuable Player award.
Now 38, turning 39 next month, Messi remains captain of Argentina and is expected to feature in his sixth FIFA World Cup. His salary figures cover his MLS contract and include marketing bonuses and agent fees, though any additional agreements with the club or performance bonuses are separate.
For a player producing at this level at this stage of his career, Inter Miami’s investment appears straightforward. No other player in MLS comes close on the field or on the payroll sheet.
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