2025 MLS salaries revealed: Messi top earner, highest-paid players, best deals

New York Times

6 hours ago

The day that the MLS Players Association releases its initial player salary information drop is among the most enlightening days of the MLS calendar. It's a roving observance rather than a fixed-date holiday, with this year's coming a full month later than 2024's. Patience is a virtue, however, and the initial release includes plenty of eye-opening wages for the league's latest influx of talent.
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First, we should get the obvious out of the way. Lionel Messi remains the highest-earning player in MLS, remaining on his league-record $20.4 million guaranteed compensation. As is the case with all players, this number only reflects the amount owed to him by Inter Miami. The figure does not include supplemental considerations that helped lure him to MLS in July 2023, including those from Apple, Adidas and Fanatics.
Unsurprisingly, Miami still leads the league in total salary expenditure. Looking at guaranteed compensation rather than base salaries, Miami's outlay of $46,836,635 represents a 37.2% increase over second-spending Toronto FC. The Canadian club is currently second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, with its salary ledger hampered by Lorenzo Insigne's $15,400,000 guaranteed compensation — making him the only other player to earn an eight-figure annual wage besides Messi.
Before we go further, bear in mind that these figures only represent each team's salary outlay. It does not paint a full picture of how each MLS side is spending en masse, overlooking crucial considerations like transfer fees, academy operation, allocation money and commercial/sponsorship bonuses. Still, for a league that has only recently begun to increase public-facing transparency around factors like each team's allocation money ledger, this day is enlightening by providing a major component of each team's on-field spending.
All figures courtesy the MLS Players Association, reflective as of May 23, 2025.
At a team level, 10 MLS clubs are spending over $20 million in guaranteed compensation across their rosters. That's a considerable increase from just three years ago, when only two MLS teams (Atlanta, $20.99M; LA Galaxy, $20.13M) exceeded that figure.
Looking at each player's compensation also helps paint a picture of each team's squad balance. A byproduct of the designated player rule is that highest-earning stars will dwarf the collective income of most of their teammates. For example, Messi's record compensation represents 43.7% of Miami's total salary expenditure, by far the highest rate dedicated to any team's top earner. On the low end of this scale is Marcel Hartel, with the midfielder's $2.18 million compensation representing 12.1% of St. Louis City's total wage bill.
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Compared to last season, 15 of MLS's 29 returning teams — San Diego FC debuted this spring — have a new top earner. This past winter saw ample squad overhaul across the league, with many clubs bringing in new headlining players. While the information drop doesn't include transfer fees, it's worth remembering that the inbound transfer record was set twice this offseason: first by FC Cincinnati, when it signed Kévin Denkey from Cercle Brugge for a reported $16.2 million fee; then by Atlanta United, when it brought Emmanuel Latte Lath over from Middlesbrough for $22 million. Perhaps surprisingly, neither striker is his team's highest earner.
While Riqui Puig will miss most of 2025, having torn his ACL in the Western Conference final en route to the LA Galaxy's first MLS Cup title in a decade, his new deal restores him to being his team's highest earner. His compensation, $5.78 million, is a considerable leap from last spring, when he was listed on a guaranteed compensation of $2.45 million. Former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba's new deal with Inter Miami is also a major escalation — from $1.5 million in 2024 to $6 million in 2025.
In total, five of MLS's top 20 earners entered the league this offseason. Miguel Almirón is taking home $7.87 million having returned from Newcastle United, narrowly ahead of San Diego winger Hirving Lozano's $7.63 million guaranteed compensation. Now out from underneath Xherdan Shaqiri's bloated salary after his move to FC Basel, the Chicago Fire rewarded new winger Jonathan Bamba with a salary exceeding $5.5 million. This is still well below Shaqiri's old compensation of $8,153,000.
Other notable newcomers include Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting (New York Red Bulls) and Wilfried Zaha (Charlotte FC).
Highest-earning newcomers in MLS, 2025
Looking at the entire player pool, 19 MLS players earn at least $4 million, while 33 exceed $3 million and 50 take home at least $2 million annually.
Highest-earning players in MLS, 2025
Among other notables whose salaries have come to light that aren't in the tables and lists above: Kellyn Acosta's free agent deal with Chicago has netted him $1,628,477… Marco Reus earns a tidy $1,136,667 with the Galaxy… Hugo Lloris is on $700,000 with Los Angeles FC… Luis Suárez remains on $1,500,000 with Miami… San Diego is covering $1,535,331 of Luca de la Torre's wages on his loan from Celta Vigo… Philadelphia's 15-year-old sensation Cavan Sullivan, who has already agreed to join Manchester City when he turns 18, is on $364,000 — well above the homegrown minimum of $80,622.
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An inevitable consequence of MLSPA salary drops is a close examination of what each player is earning compared to both their teammates as well as their peers across the league. Inevitably, some players will find they're wildly outperforming their wages, and teams know to expect calls from agents wanting to hash out fresh terms. Of course, many of these players are in the early stages of their careers and may be on homegrown contracts, an understandable justification for their bargain bin salaries. Invariably, many will also be domestic players who end up earning less than higher-paid rivals lured over from abroad.
Before those calls go out, here's a look at the most pennywise squad possible in MLS, in a base 4-3-3. Positions as assigned by the MLS Players Association:
Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan, Atlanta — $312,500 (29th among his position)
Left back: Peyton Miller, New England — $106,000 (52nd)
Center back: Brendan Hines-Ike, Austin — $325,000 (87th)
Center back: Tristan Blackmon, Vancouver — $800,000 (37th)
Right back: Alex Freeman, Orlando — $108,000 (60th)
Defensive midfielder: Carlos Harvey, Minnesota — $113,627 (49th)
Central midfielder: Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver — $385,000 (49th)
Central midfielder: Obed Vargas, Seattle — $134,452 (78th)
Left wing: Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake — $$499,833 (34th)
Right wing: David Martínez, Los Angeles FC — $525,000 (33rd)
Striker: Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota — $558,750 (49th)