Top 20 Highest Paid MLS Players 2025 (Salary Cap)
What is the average salary for Soccer players in the United States? What is the average salary in the MLS in 2025? Who is the highest-paid MLS player? How much does Messi earn in 2025? What is the lowest MLS salary? Are MLS players paid well? Here GoalTheBall presents the chart featuring the top 20 highest paid players in MLS this year.
What is the Average Salary for a Soccer Player in the MLS?
In 2024, the average salary for footballers in Major League Soccer is $594,390 on a yearly basis. There has been a rise in the mean annual salary in the MLS. In fact, the mean yearly wage in America’s most popular soccer league was $530,262 in 2023. So, a 12.1% up in the average sum of wages. This season, the guaranteed compensation across 873 players will be as much as 518,902,285 US Dollars. How much does a pro soccer player make in the US? Well, the average base salary for a soccer player in the United States is approximately $98,136. The yearly overall payment for soccer players averages $133,389.
Highest Paid Players in MLS 2025
| Player (Country) | Weekly Wage | Yearly Salary | Contract Expiry | Club |
| Lionel Messi (ARG) | $231 Thousand | $12 Million | Dec 31, 2025 | Inter Miami |
| Sergio Busquets (ESP) | $163 Thousand | $8.5 Million | Dec 31, 2025 | Inter Miami |
| Lorenzo Insigne (ITA) | $144 Thousand | $7.5 Million | June 30, 2026 | Toronto FC |
| Emile Forsberg (SWE) | $104 Thousand | $5.4 Million | Dec 31, 2026 | NY Red Bulls |
| Hector Herrera (MEX) | $91.3 Thousand | $4.75 Million | Dec 31, 2024 | Houston Dynamo |
| Sebastian Driussi (ARG) | $86.5 Thousand | $4.5 Million | Dec 31, 2025 | Austin FC |
| Christian Benteke (BEL) | $81.7 Thousand | $4.25 Million | Dec 31, 2024 | D.C. United |
| Carles Gil (ESP) | $77 Thousand | $4 Million | Dec 31, 2026 | New England Revolution |
| Hany Mukhtar (GER) | $73 Thousand | $3.8 Million | Dec 31, 2026 | Nashville SC |
| Alan Pulido (MEX) | $69.2 Thousand | $3.6 Million | Dec 31, 2026 | Sporting KC |
| Hugo Cuypers (BEL) | $62.2 Thousand | $3.24 Million | Dec 31, 2026 | Chicago Fire |
| Walker Zimmerman (USA) | $61.5 Thousand | $3.2 Million | Dec 31, 2025 | Nashville SC |
| Teemu Pukki (FIN) | $61.5 Thousand | $3.2 Million | June 30, 2025 | Minnesota United |
| Joseph Paintsil (GHA) | $60.3 Thousand | $3.14 Million | Dec 31, 2027 | LA Galaxy |
| Federico Bernardeschi (ITA) | $60.1 Thousand | $3.13 Million | Dec 31, 2026 | Toronto FC |
| Luciano Acosta (ARG) | $57 Thousand | $2.96 Million | Dec 31, 2026 | FC Cincinnati |
| Denis Bouanga (GBN) | $56.1 Thousand | $2.92 Million | Dec 31, 2027 | Los Angeles FC |
| Ryan Gauld (SCO) | $55.3 Thousand | $2.88 Million | Dec 31, 2027 | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| Luis Muriel (COL) | $54.5 Thousand | $2.83 Million | Dec 31, 2026 | Orlando City |
| Diego Rossi (URU) | $51.4 Thousand | $2.68 Million | Dec 31, 2026 | Columbus Crew |
What is Messi’s salary in Miami?
Lionel Messi is the highest-earning player in the MLS. His base salary is just over US$230k per week or 12 million US Dollars per year. Well, the sum seems very low. In fact, Inter Miami provides him a yearly guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million. By the way, Messi gets much more from the deal, for instance, his share in revenue from Apple TV’s MLS season pass as well as payment from Adidas, and more. So, Messi’s yearly income in Miami definitely crosses the US$50 million mark and would be something between 50-60 million USD per year.
What is the Salary Cap in the MLS 2025?
The league’s highest earners grab 7-figure cheques per year. Apart from Messi, the best-paid MLS players are the likes of former European stars including Sergio Busquets, Lorenzo Insigne, Emile Forsberg, etc. The alluded players’ yearly basic salaries are $8.5m, $7.5m, and $5.4m, respectively. Hector Herrera, Sebastian Driussi, Christian Benteke, Carles Gil, etc. each earn a minimum of or over 4 million US Dollars. The 2023 season’s MVP Luciano Acosta bags just a bit less than 3 million USD per annum. Meanwhile, Walker Zimmerman is the highest-paid American star in the MLS at the moment with his 3.2m yearly contract with Nashville SC. The lowest MLS salary is pocketed by the non-designated players who generally take between $36,500 to $387,500. So, the lowest salary in the MLS might be as low as 36,500 USD (for players below age 25). Players aged 25 or more will get a minimum of 48,500 USD.
