As part of a collective bargaining agreement that lasts until 2027, the MLSPA (MLS Players Association) has disclosed information on player salary ahead of the upcoming round of MLS fixtures for the third year in a row.
No one is surprised that Messi is the highest-paid player in the American top flight based on the facts as of September 15.
The Inter Miami star gets paid a $12 million base wage, but he is also eligible for an additional $8.4 million in bonuses and signing-on fees.
Jorge Mas, the owner of Inter, informed El Pais that Messi will make between $50 million and $60 million annually when he signed a contract with the Herons in July.
This takes into account Messi’s special contracts, under which he receives a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Adidas shirts and the lucrative Apple TV partnership.
Sergio Busquets ($1.775 million) and Jordi Alba ($1.25 million), former teammates at Barcelona and current members of Inter, are not among the top ten earners, but Gerardo Martino’s club tops the salary bill with $39.419 million in “guaranteed compensation.”
On his alone, Messi makes more money than 25 of the 29 MLS teams combined.
With total salary of $15.4 million and $8.1 million, respectively, former Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne, who is currently playing for Toronto, and former Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Stoke winger Xherdan Shaqiri round out the top three.
Federico Bernardeschi ($6.3 million), another Italian playing for Toronto, and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez of the LA Galaxy ($7.44 million each) round out the top five.
10.Josef Martinez – Inter Miami – $4.39 million
9.Christian Benteke – D.C United – $4.43 million8.Douglas Costa – LA Galaxy – $4.5 million
7,Hector Herrera – Houston Dynamo – $5.24 million
6.Sebastian Durassi – Austin FC – $6 million
5.Federico Bernardeschi – Toronto – $6.29 million
4.Javier Hernandez – LA Galaxy – $7.44 million
3.Xherdan Shaqiri – Chicago Fire – $8.1 million
2.Lorenzo Insigne – Toronto – $15.4 million
1.Lionel Messi – Inter Miami – $20.4 million