Lionel Messi is receiving even more on his second MLS contract, as unveiled in the MLS Players Association’s latest drop of player salary information. The union drops offer a fascinating lens into MLS squad construction, a chance to play sporting director and give pass/fail verdicts on roster construction across the 30-team circuit.
The Argentinian – whose take-home figure does not include additional amounts earned via Apple streaming subscriptions or jersey sales through Adidas and Fanatics – remains far and away MLS’s top earner, receiving $28.3m in his fourth season with Inter Miami. Son Heung-min ranks second, with Los Angeles FC paying the Tottenham icon $11.2m, while Rodrigo De Paul joins Messi on the podium not as his bodyguard but as the earner of a $9.7m income.
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Messi’s new contract keeps him at an unprecedented rate of income. Only one team spends more across its entire roster than Miami pays Messi alone, with LAFC rostering the league’s only other eight-figure earner. While these figures don’t include transfer fees and therefore don’t tell the whole picture of a team’s investment in its roster, it is striking that each conference’s worst performer thus far harbor the league’s two lowest wage bills: Sporting Kansas City ($12.4m) and the Philadelphia Union ($11.7m).
While San Diego FC’s first year largely went from strength to strength, these figures illustrate the bind they’ve put themselves in regarding Hirving “Chucky” Lozano. The team are 13th in the West, albeit just three points behind the final playoff position. After benching him during the postseason for behavioral reasons, sporting director Tyler Heaps told the media Lozano would not play for the club again … despite having not sorted out his exit plan.
The public comment has proved to be a negotiating faux pas, giving suitors every reason to hold out for the best deal possible. The 30-year-old is guaranteed to be paid $9.3m this year without having played a minute, almost triple the wages of teammate and reigning MVP finalist Anders Dreyer ($3.6m). Lozano’s deal, which was announced two months before Heaps joined the club, is slated to run through 2028.
First, a look at every team’s highest-paid player, listed alongside what share of that team’s total wage bill is committed to the top earner. All figures throughout the release are at annualized rates regardless of mid-season options.
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The salary drop reveals data about new players in the league, as well as raises for players on new deals with their club or those who moved within the league as free agents. Müller’s full salary ($5.2m) is revealed in full for the first time, as he arrived for the tail-end of 2025 at a lower rate to immediately fit into their squad. Miami will no longer catch side-eyes about De Paul’s earnings, after his half-season loan from Atlético Madrid (with a mandatory purchase option) hit the wage bill at a fraction of his full salary.
Former Germany international Timo Werner leads San Jose with a healthy $4.3m compensation, while former Norwich striker Josh Sargent returned to North America after agreeing to a $5.3m salary with Toronto FC. Other highly paid newcomers include Facundo Torres (Austin, $4.4m), Germán Berterame (Miami, $3.8m), Mateusz Bogusz (Houston, $2.5m) and Morgan Guilavogui (Real Salt Lake, $2.2m).
Upon signing James Rodríguez to a half-year deal, Minnesota sporting director Khaled El-Ahmad told the Guardian the deal was indisputably team-friendly. Sure enough, the Colombian playmaker checks in at an annualized salary of $684,000, making him the ninth top earner at the mid-market club.
Paul Rothrock earned a hefty raise after his free agency ended with fresh terms in Seattle, up to $525,000 after receiving $105,000 last season. Cristian Espinoza has been an instant smash with Nashville, taking home $2.3m with the MLS Cup hopefuls. Finland international Robin Lod saw a slight cut from his income in Minnesota, signing with Chicago for $866,667. DC United added their two top four earners this winter: striker Tai Baribo ($2.4m) and forward Louis Munteanu ($1.6m).
The Opulent XI
This is the most expensive team MLS teams can cobble together, lined up in a 4-2-3-1.
GK: Roman Bürki, STL ($2,750,000)
RB: Richie Laryea, TOR ($1,214,438)
CB: Miles Robinson, CIN ($3,950,000)
CB: Thiago Martins, NYC ($2,262,000)
LB: Sergio Reguilón, MIA ($1,800,000)
DM: Obinna Nwobodo, CIN ($1,849,724)
CM: Rodrigo De Paul, MIA ($9,688,320)
RW: Lionel Messi, MIA ($28,333,333)
AM: Hany Mukhtar, NSH ($5,411,667)
LW: Son Heung-min, LAFC ($11,152,852)
ST: Sam Surridge, NSH ($5,933,000)
In total, and largely carried by Messi’s wages, the MLS Opulent XI nets a combined $74,345,334. For reference, Capology projects Burnley to have the Premier League’s thriftiest ledger this season, checking in at $75.1m.
Total outlay
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Unsurprisingly, Miami commits far and away the most to their three highest earners (76.7%), while Philadelphia (23.4%) has the lowest commitment to their top trio.
While far from a definitive tell-all figure, it’s interesting to track each team’s median earner – the midpoint player who is somewhere around the 14th to 18th top earner on most rosters.
Teams performing well can cite this as evidence of credible depth, or impressive flexibility if the median is low. Those struggling to contend can cite a low median figure as evidence that there’s ample room to grow pending ownership investment – looking at Sporting KC – or a calamitous cap situation if a middling performer is high on this chart. Mostly, though, it’s interesting trivia afforded by this salary release.
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The data also shows how teams grew or shrank the salary investment over the bygone offseason. Some fluctuation is easily explained by one or two signings or departures; there are new top earners in San Jose (Werner), Toronto (Sargent) and Austin (Torres) while Houston added two forwards on seven-figure salaries. Conversely, Orlando’s figure dipped after seeing Luis Muriel depart, but it is bound to rise again when Antoine Griezmann joins after the World Cup.
Biggest wage bill increases from fall 2025 to spring 2026
San Jose Earthquakes (+42.6%)
Toronto FC (+37.3%)
Austin FC (+26.7%)
Houston Dynamo (+24.5%)
Vancouver Whitecaps (+21.5%)
LA Galaxy (+18.5%)
Columbus Crew (+16.3%)
Biggest wage bill decreases from fall 2025 to spring 2026
Sporting Kansas City (-29.8%)
Portland Timbers (-17.6%)
Orlando City (-14.7%)
Seattle Sounders (-13.5%)
Philadelphia Union (-12.7%)
The Budget XI
Poring over the data also unearths plenty of players whose performances will surely demand higher wages on their next deal. This team can be cobbled together for a meager $2,013,188 annually. Understandably, many of these players are youngsters finally establishing themselves as starters, while veteran Maxi Moralez took a cut from his past salaries at New York City FC as he approaches his 40th birthday.
GK: Brian Schwake, NSH ($166,800)
RB: Frankie Westfield, PHI ($125,285)
CB: Reid Roberts, SJ ($88,025)
CB: Manu Duah, SD ($92,025)
LB: Tate Johnson, VAN ($89,025)
DM: Ronald Donkor, RBNY ($175,400)
CM: Adri Mehmeti, RBNY ($158,980)
RW: Zavier Gozo, RSL ($126,123)
AM: Maxi Moralez, NYC ($500,000)
LW: Warren Madrigal, NSH ($403,500)
ST: Sergi Solans, RSL ($88,025)
TOTAL: $2,013,188
Thanking Their Agents FC
Conversely, this batch of players have largely underperformed what would be expected given their wages. One exception is Miles Robinson, who lands here by virtue of receiving more than twice as much as all but one other center back (Thiago Martins) in the league. Another, the great Roman Bürki, has performed well below his usual standard thus far despite doubling the compensation of all but one other MLS goalkeeper (Matt Turner).
GK: Roman Bürki, STL ($2,750,000)
RB: Facundo Mura, MIA ($1,026,875)
CB: Miles Robinson, CIN ($3,950,000)
CB: Enea Mihaj, ATL ($1,557,000)
LB: Sergio Reguilón, MIA ($1,800,000)
DM: Gustav Berggren, RBNY ($1,310,000)
CM: Luca de la Torre, CLT ($1,611,827)
RW: Liel Abada, CLT ($2,648,500)
AM: Daniel Gazdag, CLB ($2,049,996)
LW: Hirving Lozano, SD ($9,333,333)
ST: Emmanuel Latte Lath, ATL ($3,736,000)
