The latest salary update from the Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA) confirmed what everyone already knew, but now the numbers make the league’s financial gap impossible to ignore. Lionel Messi remains, by far, the highest-paid player in MLS, earning more than $20 million a year. No other athlete even comes close, not even Heung-min Son, the South Korean star newly arrived at Los Angeles FC, who ranks second with just over $11 million. As a result, Inter Miami stands comfortably at the top of the league’s payroll rankings, spending more than any other club by a wide margin.
Messi at the top and Inter Miami out of reach
The numbers don’t lie. Messi earns nearly three times more than any other elite MLS star. The Argentine brings in $20.45 million annually, followed by Son ($11.15 million) and Sergio Busquets ($8.78 million), rounding out Inter Miami’s millionaire trio. Behind them are Miguel Almirón of Atlanta United, earning $7.87 million, and Hirving “Chucky” Lozano of San Diego FC with $7.63 million. Miami’s dominance is complete, three of the five highest salaries in the league belong to the same team, and that supremacy shows both on the pitch and on the balance sheet.
Inter Miami’s payroll sits at $48.97 million, nearly $19 million ahead of LAFC in second place. That gap alone is larger than the entire payroll of 15 MLS clubs. It’s a financial advantage that translates into technical superiority and global appeal. Messi’s team has become an international product, which helps justify the investment. On top of that, Inter is expected to free up around $15 million in 2026 with the likely retirements of Busquets and Jordi Alba, clearing space for more big-name signings and keeping its cycle of high-level spending alive.
While Miami spends freely, other clubs are living very different realities. Toronto FC, for example, has plummeted from second place in spending at the start of the season to 27th after parting ways with Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi. Once a symbol of ambition in MLS, the Canadian club is now in rebuilding mode with a $13.7 million payroll, less than one-third of Inter Miami’s total.
The power of contracts and the new MLS standard
Heung-min Son’s arrival at LAFC marks a turning point for MLS. The forward, who made his name at Tottenham, arrived with the league’s second-highest salary and a strong commercial package. It’s a major investment, but one that fits the league’s strategy of global expansion. LAFC wants to make Son a bridge to the Asian market while keeping the club among MLS’s elite. With a $30.1 million payroll, the California side ranks second in total spending for 2025.
Other clubs remain in the upper tier, such as Atlanta United ($28.5 million), FC Cincinnati ($23.2 million), and Chicago Fire ($23.1 million). Competitive balance still exists on the field, but financially, the gap is widening. The Designated Player rule, which allows each team to have up to three players earning above the salary cap, remains the key mechanism behind this structure. It’s the same system that enabled MLS to sign stars like Messi, Busquets, Son, Lozano, and Almirón without destabilizing the league’s overall financial model.
Players like Thomas Müller of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Rodrigo De Paul of Inter Miami illustrate how this balance works. Müller currently earns a base salary of $1.44 million, but his deal will be adjusted in 2026 when he officially becomes a Designated Player. De Paul, meanwhile, makes $3.67 million, still within the salary cap because his contract is structured as a loan with an option to buy.