Lionel Messi stands out as the highest-paid soccer player in Major League Soccer (MLS) by a significant margin. This unsurprising revelation comes from the MLS Players Association's database, published on Thursday. According to the data, the world footballer earns a guaranteed salary of $20.45 million with Inter Miami, with a base salary of $12 million, excluding various bonus payments. Advertising revenues are not included in these figures.
Photo https://www.deviantart.com/caseycolton/art/Lionel-Messi-10-1000381186
Messi's earnings surpass the total payrolls of 25 other clubs in the league. Coming in second place in the salary ranking is Italian forward Lorenzo Insigne from Toronto FC, who earns $15.40 million. Former Bayern Munich player Xherdan Shaqiri, now with Chicago Fire, ranks fourth with $8.15 million. Emil Forsberg, who left RB Leipzig in the winter, collects $6.03 million at New York Red Bulls. The average salary in the league is $594,390.
This significant pay disparity highlights Messi's extraordinary value and impact on the league, reinforcing his status as one of the most influential players in the world.
Sources:
MLS Players Association Salary Database
Photo https://www.deviantart.com/caseycolton/art/Lionel-Messi-10-1000381186