Inter Miami and LAFC boast the league’s two highest-paid players by a considerable margin, while the compensation figures for several new arrivals are disclosed publicly for the first time.
The latest salary data released by the MLS Players Association confirms that Lionel Messi continues to command an unrivaled position at the top of the league’s pay structure. Now in his fourth campaign with Inter Miami, the Argentine superstar takes home $28.3 million annually under his current contract — a figure that excludes additional revenue streams such as Apple TV streaming bonuses, Adidas kit royalties, and Fanatics merchandise commissions.
Son Heung-min occupies second place on the earnings ladder, with Los Angeles FC committing $11.2 million to the former Tottenham captain. Completing the top three is Rodrigo De Paul, who draws $9.7 million at Inter Miami — placing him alongside his compatriot not as a security detail, but as a fellow top-three wage earner.
MLS’s Highest-Paid Players
All figures in USD; guaranteed compensation covering base salary and all assured bonuses; excludes marketing bonuses and Apple or Adidas incentive payments
- Lionel Messi, MIA — $28.3 million
- Son Heung-min, LAFC — $11.2 million
- Rodrigo De Paul, MIA — $9.7 million
- Hirving Lozano, SD — $9.3 million
- Miguel Almirón, ATL — $7.9 million
- Emil Forsberg, RBNY — $6 million
- Sam Surridge, NSH — $5.9 million
- Riqui Puig, LA — $5.8 million
Messi‘s revised deal sustains his earnings at a level without precedent in MLS history. Across the entire 30-club competition, only one franchise’s complete payroll exceeds what Miami allocates to Messi individually. LAFC stands as the sole other club with a player earning eight figures. Notably, the two clubs currently propping up their respective conferences also carry the lightest wage bills in the league: Sporting Kansas City at $12.4 million and the Philadelphia Union at $11.7 million.
San Diego FC‘s debut season has been broadly positive, yet the salary data lays bare the awkward predicament surrounding Hirving “Chucky” Lozano. The club sits 13th in the Western Conference, trailing the final playoff berth by just three points. Following his exclusion from the postseason squad on disciplinary grounds, sporting director Tyler Heaps publicly declared that Lozano would not feature for the club again — despite no departure arrangement having been put in place.
That public declaration has backfired as a negotiating tactic, handing any interested clubs maximum leverage to wait for the most favorable terms. The Mexican winger is guaranteed $9.3 million this season without having stepped onto the pitch — nearly three times the salary of teammate and reigning MVP finalist Anders Dreyer ($3.6 million). Lozano’s contract, finalized two months prior to Heaps’s appointment, is set to remain in force until 2028.
Below is a breakdown of each club’s highest-paid player, together with the proportion of the total wage bill that player accounts for. All figures are presented at annualized rates, regardless of mid-season contract options.
Highest-Paid Player at Each Club
| Club | Top Earner | Top Salary | Wage Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | Lionel Messi | $28.3m | 52% |
| San Diego | Hirving Lozano | $9.3m | 38% |
| LAFC | Son Heung-min | $11.2m | 34% |
| Atlanta | Miguel Almirón | $7.9m | 28% |
| New York RB | Emil Forsberg | $6m | 28% |
| San Jose | Timo Werner | $4.3m | 27% |
| Kansas City | Dejan Joveljic | $3.3m | 27% |
| Nashville | Sam Surridge | $5.9m | 26% |
| Chicago | Jonathan Bamba | $5.6m | 26% |
| New England | Carles Gil | $5m | 26% |
| Toronto | Josh Sargent | $5.3m | 25% |
| Austin | Facundo Torres | $4.4m | 22% |
| LA | Riqui Puig | $5.8m | 22% |
| Vancouver | Thomas Müller | $5.2m | 21% |
| Cincinnati | Evander | $4.7m | 20% |
| Dallas | Petar Musa | $2.9m | 20% |
| Portland | David Da Costa | $3.4m | 19% |
| NYCFC | Nicolás Fernández Mercau | $3.7m | 17% |
| Columbus | Wessam Abou Ali | $3.6m | 16% |
| D.C. | Tai Baribo | $2.3m | 16% |
This salary release sheds light on players who have recently joined the league, those who secured improved terms upon renewing with their existing clubs, and those who switched teams as free agents. Thomas Müller‘s complete annual compensation of $5.2 million is made public for the first time; he had initially arrived partway through 2025 on a reduced rate to slot into the squad immediately. Meanwhile, scrutiny of Rodrigo De Paul‘s wages at Miami should ease: his half-season loan from Atlético Madrid — which included a mandatory purchase clause — was charged to the wage bill at a fraction of his full rate.
Former Germany international Timo Werner heads San Jose’s payroll at $4.3 million, while ex-Norwich City forward Josh Sargent has made his return to North American football on a $5.3 million deal with Toronto FC. Among other notable new arrivals: Facundo Torres (Austin, $4.4m), Germán Berterame (Miami, $3.8m), Mateusz Bogusz (Houston, $2.5m), and Morgan Guilavogui (Real Salt Lake, $2.2m).
When Minnesota United sporting director Khaled El-Ahmad signed James Rodríguez to a half-season contract, he told our publication the arrangement was unambiguously favorable to the club. The numbers bear that out: the Colombian playmaker’s annualized salary stands at $684,000, placing him ninth among earners at the mid-table side.
Paul Rothrock secured a substantial pay rise after his free agency concluded with a new agreement in Seattle, climbing to $525,000 from the $105,000 he received the previous season. Cristian Espinoza has made an immediate impact at Nashville, earning $2.3 million with the MLS Cup contenders. Finland international Robin Lod accepted a modest reduction in earnings upon joining Chicago, where he will be paid $866,667. DC United bolstered their attacking options this winter with the additions of striker Tai Baribo ($2.4m) and forward Louis Munteanu ($1.6m).
The Opulent XI
The costliest possible lineup assembled from across the league, arranged in a 4-2-3-1 formation:
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)
The combined annual outlay for this XI reaches $74,345,334 — a figure driven overwhelmingly by Messi‘s contract. For context, Capology estimates that Burnley carries the Premier League‘s most modest payroll this season, at $75.1 million.
Total Wage Expenditure
Club-by-Club Payroll Breakdown
| Club | Guaranteed Compensation |
|---|---|
| Miami | $55m |
| LAFC | $33m |
| Atlanta | $28m |
| LA | $26m |
| Vancouver | $25m |
| San Diego | $24m |
| Cincinnati | $23m |
| Nashville | $23m |
| Columbus | $22m |
| Chicago | $22m |
| Philadelphia | $12m |
Miami’s concentration of spending is stark: 76.7% of the club’s total wage bill is absorbed by its three highest earners. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Philadelphia directs just 23.4% of its payroll toward its top trio.
Beyond headline figures, tracking each club’s median earner — typically the player ranked 14th to 18th on the wage list — offers a useful secondary lens. Strong-performing clubs can point to a healthy median as a sign of genuine squad depth, or to a low median as evidence of smart resource allocation. Struggling sides, meanwhile, can use a low median to argue that investment from ownership is needed — as is the case at Sporting KC — or a high median to flag a problematic salary structure for a player who isn’t delivering. Ultimately, though, this is one of the more intriguing pieces of data the annual salary release provides.
LAFC Leads the League in Median Salary
| Club | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| LAFC | $652k |
| Houston | $576k |
| Orlando | $530k |
| Columbus | $530k |
| Miami | $528k |
| Austin | $465k |
| Portland | $456k |
| Seattle | $454k |
| Vancouver | $447k |
| Montreal | $436k |
The data also captures how clubs adjusted their wage investment during the most recent transfer window. Some shifts are straightforwardly explained by individual arrivals or departures: San Jose, Toronto, and Austin each have new top earners in Werner, Sargent, and Torres respectively, while Houston brought in two forwards on seven-figure salaries. On the other side, Orlando‘s payroll contracted following Luis Muriel‘s exit, though it is expected to climb again once Antoine Griezmann arrives after the World Cup.
Largest wage bill increases from autumn 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%)
Largest wage bill decreases from autumn 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
Digging through the data also surfaces a group of players whose output will almost certainly earn them significantly better contracts when their current deals expire. This lineup can be assembled for a combined annual cost of just $2,013,188. Many of these players are young talents who have recently broken into starting roles, while veteran Maxi Moralez accepted reduced terms as he approaches his 40th birthday at New York City FC.
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
On the flip side, this group of players has largely failed to justify their wage levels. One notable exception is Miles Robinson, who features here simply because his earnings exceed those of every other center-back in the league by more than double — with only Thiago Martins coming close. Another is Roman Bürki, whose performances have fallen well short of his usual standard this season, despite his compensation being more than twice that of every other MLS goalkeeper bar 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)
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