The MLS Players’ Association released the salaries for each player in the league for the first time in 2025, and Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi remained the league’s highest-paid player for the second year in a row.
The salaries, released on June 25, are the first of two annual releases by the MLSPA and are current as of May 23, 2025.
While Messi’s salary, which includes guaranteed compensation of $20.45 million, makes him the highest-paid player, he takes home significantly more cash. According to Sportico, he could earn over $150 million during his two-and-a-half-year spell with Inter Miami.
In addition to his salary, Messi earns through an MLS-related deal with adidas and receives a cut of subscriptions to the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Behind Messi, Toronto FC’s Lorenzo Insigne is the second highest-paid player in MLS with a guaranteed compensation of $15.44 million, with Miami’s Sergio Busquets in third with significantly less at $8.5 million.
Inter Miami also had the highest salary total, at $46.84 million, a $5 million increase from their league record total in 2024. Behind them are Toronto’s $34.13 million and Atlanta United’s $27.63 million.
Meanwhile, the lowest spending team is CF Montréal, whose total salaries add up to just $11.99 million. Other teams among the lowest spenders include the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union, at $13.37 million, Real Salt Lake, at $13.41 million, and Minnesota United, at $13.8 million.
Here’s a look at the top salaries in MLS in 2025.
Top 20 Player Salaries in MLS as of May 23, 2025
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Top 20 MLS Salaries in 2025: Lionel Messi Leads Charts by Considerable Margin.
