JAKARTA - Son Heung-min from Los Angeles FC (LAFC) joins Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) as the only MLS player to earn an annual salary of more than 10 million US dollars (around Rp166.4 billion.
Son, who was acquired by LAFC this summer, has guaranteed compensation of 11.2 million US dollars, while Messi remains the highest-paid player in the league with 20.4 million US dollars (IDR 332.8 billion).
This information is based on the MLS Players Association (MLSPA), which released salary data on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, local time. Withdrawal of all this data as of October 1, 2025.
These figures only include player salaries, including marketing bonuses and agent fees. These figures don't take into account any additional agreements with the team or affiliates, or any performance bonuses.
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Messi also benefits from other revenue streams, such as sponsorship deals with Adidas and profit-sharing agreements with league broadcast partner, Apple.
According to Sportico, Messi has the potential to earn up to 150 million US dollars (around Rp. 24.9 trillion) during the 2.5-year contract period which will expire at the end of this season.
Messi, the newly named MLS Golden Boot winner with 29 goals in 28 games, recently signed a contract extension with Inter Miami that will keep him in South Florida until the end of the 2028 season.
Son's contract at LAFC is valid until 2027 with the option of an extension until 2029.
The five players with the highest revenue were Messi's club mate, Sergio Busquets, who made $8.8 million, followed by Miguel Almionon from Atlanta United for $6.1 million and Hirving Lozano from San Diego for $6 million.
Salary data is calculated annually for players imported during the summer transfer market.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami continues to dominate in terms of total team spending. Thanks to Rodrigo De Paul's arrival in the middle of the season, they increased their spending to a record 48.97 million US dollars despite failing to win the second consecutive Supporters' Shield title, with the Philadelphia Union winning the trophy low-costly.
Inter Miami spending more than double the amount spent by 27 of the remaining 29 league teams.
In terms of team payroll based on guaranteed basic compensation, LAFC is in second place after Inter Miami with 30.1 million US dollars, followed by Atlanta United (28.48 million US dollars), FC Cincinnati (23.19 million US dollars), and Chicago Fire (23.11 million US dollars).
CF Montreal has the lowest salary of 12.92 million US dollars, followed by FC Dallas (USD 13.15 million), Philadelphia Union (USD 13.43 million), Toronto FC (USD 13.65 million), and Minnesota United (USD 14.54 million).
The average expenditure per team was 19.69 million US dollars, compared to 18.41 million US dollars last year, aka an increase of 7 percent.
The median expenditure per team was 18.01 million US dollars, compared to last year's figure of 16.68 million US dollars. This figure shows an 8 percent increase.
The most striking difference in spending year after year was Toronto FC spending, which fell from 31.81 million US dollars in 2024 to 13.65 million US dollars in 2025.
This is largely due to the departure of permanent players, such as Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, in the middle of the season.
The average guaranteed basic compensation for all MLS players, including players in groups and pension players who still have debts, continues to increase every year, reaching 632,809 US dollars, up 6.1 percent from 596,226 US dollars in September 2024.
The salaries of players below the wage scale continue to improve, with the median of basic compensation guaranteed by the league reaching US$338,347, up 9.7 percent from September 2024 of 308,375 percent.
MLS and MLSPA enter the fifth year of collective cooperation agreement reached in February 2021. CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) is valid until the end of the 2027 season.
Total Expenditures Of MLS Teams
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