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LAFC's Son Heung-Min joined Inter Miami's Lionel Messi as the only two MLS players to make over $10 million in annual salary. Son, a summer acquisition by LAFC has a guaranteed compensation of $11.2 million while Messi remains the league's highest paid player at $20.4 million. The information is according to the MLS Players Association, which released its list of MLS player salary data on Wednesday. Messi's number includes just his playing salary, with the Argentine also set to benefit from other revenue streams such as his endorsement deal with Adidas and a revenue sharing agreement with league broadcast partner Apple. According to Sportico, Messi stands to earn up to $150 million over the life of the two-and-a-half year contract that was due to expire at the end of this year. Messi, the newly crowned Golden Boot winner in MLS with 29 goals in 28 games, recently signed a contract extension with Inter Miami that will see him remain in South Florida through the end of the 2028 season. Son's contract with LAFC runs through 2027, with options that could extend it to 2029. The top five earners were rounded out by Messi's club teammate, Sergio Busquets, who makes $8.8 million, followed by Atlanta United's Miguel Almirón at $6.1 million and San Diego's Hirving Lozano at $6 million. All data is as of Oct. 1, 2025. The salary data was annualized for players who arrived during the summer transfer window. Miami continues to lap the field in terms of total team spending. Thanks to the midseason arrival of Rodrigo DePaul, Miami increased its spending to a record $48.97 million, though it missed out on a second consecutive Supporters' Shield triumph, with the low-spending Philadelphia Union winning that trophy. Miami's outlay is more than double the amount spent by 27 of the league's remaining 29 teams. In terms of team payroll based on guaranteed base compensation, LAFC ranked second behind Miami at $30.1 million followed by Atlanta United ($28.48 million) FC Cincinnati ($23.19 million) and the Chicago Fire ($23.11 million) CF Montreal had the lowest payroll at $12.92 million, followed by FC Dallas ($13.15 million), the Philadelphia Union ($13.43 million), Toronto FC ($13.65 million) and Minnesota United ($14.54 million). The average outlay per team was $19.69 million compared to $18.41 million a year ago, an increase of 7%. The median spend per team was $18.01 million compared with last year's mark of $16.68 million. That represents an increase of 8%. The most notable difference in spending year-over-year was that of Toronto FC, whose outlay plummeted from $31.81 million a year ago to just $13.65 million in 2025. This was due in large part to the midseason departures of designated players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi. The average guaranteed base compensation for the entire MLS player pool -- which included pool players and retired players still owed money -- continues to climb on an annual basis, rising to $632,809, up 6.1% from the September, 2024 mark of $596,226. The salaries of players at the bottom of the wage scale continue to improve, as the league's median guaranteed base compensation was $338,347, up 9.7 percent from the September, 2024, mark of $308,375. MLS and the MLSPA are in the fifth year of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was agreed upon in February of 2021. The current CBA runs through the end of the 2027 season. Total spend per team: 1. Inter Miami - $48.97 million 2. LAFC - $30.1 million 3. Atlanta United - 28.48 4. FC Cincinnati - $23.19 million 5. Chicago Fire - $23.11 million 6. Nashville SC - $22.44 million 7. Portland Timbers - $22.44 million 8. LA Galaxy - $22.26 million 9. San Diego FC - $22.25 10. New York Red Bulls - $22.07 million 11. Columbus Crew - $19.22 million 12. New England Revolution - $19.11 million 13. Charlotte FC - $19.02 million 14. New York City FC - $18.84 million 15. Seattle Sounders - $18.25 million 16. Vancouver Whitecaps - $17.77 million 17. Sporting Kansas City - $17.61 million 18. San Jose Earthquakes - $17.08 million 19. St. Louis City SC - $16.93 million 20. Houston Dynamo - $16.77 million 21. Orlando City - $16.11 million 22. Austin FC - $15.68 million 23. Real Salt Lake - $15.66 million 24. DC United - $14.92 million 25. Colorado Rapids - $14.63 million 26. Minnesota United - $14.54 million 27. Toronto FC - $13.65 million 28. Philadelphia Union - $13.43 million 29. FC Dallas - $13.15 million 30. CF Montreal - $12.92 million
