Messi's salary tops the wage bill of almost every MLS club

TL;DR

Lionel Messi's annual salary of $28.3 million surpasses the wage bill of nearly every MLS club. This highlights the significant financial disparity within Major League Soccer.

Key points

Lionel Messi earns $28.3 million annually.
Messi's salary exceeds almost every MLS club's wage bill.
The financial disparity in MLS is highlighted by Messi's earnings.

Mentioned in this story

Lionel MessiInter Miami

Major League Soccer

Messi's salary tops the wage bill of almost every MLS club

Major League Soccer (MLS) released its official player salary table this Tuesday (12), confirming what many had already suspected: Lionel Messi is in a financial tier of his own in North American soccer.

Representing Inter Miami, the Argentine star earns US$ 28.3 million per year (about R$ 139 million at the current exchange rate).

The economic gap between Messi and the rest of the league becomes clear in two striking comparisons:

Against the franchises: The No. 10’s individual salary is higher than the entire payroll of almost every MLS team. The only exception is Los Angeles FC, which spends about US$ 33 million per year on its full squad combined.
Against his rivals: The second-highest-paid player in the tournament is South Korean Son Heung-min, the Los Angeles FC’s own major recent signing. He earns US$ 11.1 million per year — an amount nearly three times lower than what the Argentine is guaranteed.

Actual earnings go far beyond base salary

The list released by MLS includes only the salaries officially set in employment contracts.

Commercial deals, image rights, advertising, and shares from official merchandise sales are not included in that total.

If these extra sources of income are added, the picture changes.

According to information previously revealed by one of Inter Miami’s owners, Messi’s total earnings in the United States reach an impressive US$ 70 million to US$ 80 million per season.