The MLS Players Association released its second batch of 2024 salary information on Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in MLS with a guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million — more than the combined guaranteed compensations of 22 separate MLS rosters.
- The total (annualized) guaranteed compensation for the league’s 910 salaried players is $542,566,145 — an average of $596,226 per player — up 12.4% from 2023’s mean of $530,262.
- Inter Miami has the highest salary spend in MLS, with a total guaranteed compensation of $41,708,280. CF Montréal is the lowest at $11,438,409
- Five teams have a new top earner: Atlanta United (Aleksey Miranchuk, $3.7 million), the Chicago Fire (Hugo Cuypers, $3.5 million), the LA Galaxy (Riqui Puig, $4.6 million), Los Angeles FC (Olivier Giroud, $3.68 million) and St. Louis City (Marcel Hartel, $2.2 million).
Top 10 earners in MLS
The league’s two top earners remain unchanged from 2023 and the first half of 2024.
Messi leads all players with his $20.4 million guaranteed compensation, while Toronto FC winger Lorenzo Insigne is second on $15.4 million. Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets remains third at $8.8 million, while the summer departure of Xherdan Shaqiri (and his $8.2 million annual take-home) is a welcome reprieve on the Fire’s wage bill.
Three other players earn over $6 million in 2024: Sebastian Driussi of Austin FC ($6.7 million), Federico Bernardeschi of Toronto FC ($6.3 million) and Emil Forsberg of the New York Red Bulls ($6 million).
The rest of the top 10 are Hector Herrera of the Houston Dynamo ($5.2 million), Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC ($5.2 million), and fresh contracts for Christian Benteke of D.C. United ($4.7 million) and Riqui Puig of the LA Galaxy ($4.6 million).
How can Miami pay Messi so much with a salary cap?
At $20.4 million, Messi is not just the highest-paid player in MLS but paid more than the entire rosters of 22 individual teams. How is that possible in a salary-capped league?
The MLS salary cap is an arcane world. For the uninitiated, it’s a mix of a hard cap and budget terms that don’t relate to a player’s actual take-home pay. Messi is a designated player and, as far as the salary cap is concerned, his budget charge is only $683,750, the senior maximum.
That’s how much a senior designated player counts against the cap — same for CF Montréal midfielder Victor Wanyama, despite his salary being $1.8 million.
The designated player rule was introduced in 2007 as a way to bring David Beckham to the league. Under the rule, a club can pay a DP whatever they want out of pocket, and they hit the cap at the fixed senior maximum number. The difference is how much ownership of any given club is comfortable spending.
Beyond the $20.4 million, Messi’s contract has significant value escalators and is among the most unique deals in MLS history. When he retires, Messi can purchase a minority ownership percentage in Inter Miami.
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Additionally, he will receive additional income through MLS partners. He’ll get some portion of revenue from the new MLS Season Pass subscriptions on Apple TV, while he also has agreements for compensation from Adidas, who is his long-time sponsor and kit manufacturers for MLS, and Fanatics.
What’s changed since the last salary release?
There have been some changes among the league’s upper class.
The Chicago Fire has left the ranks of MLS’s top five spenders, largely due to getting Shaqiri’s wages off of their books. Los Angeles FC now ranks third on the back of acquiring Olivier Giroud, while the Galaxy narrowly trail in fourth following Puig’s raise and the summer acquisition of Marco Reus (on an annualized guaranteed wage of $1.2 million).
Nashville SC rounds out the top five, led by the well-paid trio of Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Walker Zimmerman. Four of the league’s ten top salary spenders missed the 18-team postseason: Toronto (2nd), Nashville (5th), New England (8th), and Austin FC (10th).
On the opposite end, CF Montréal finished 8th in the East with the league’s lowest wage bill. Of the ten lowest salary spenders, seven made the postseason: Montréal (29th), Colorado (27th), Minnesota (25th), Atlanta (24th), Portland (23rd), Charlotte (22nd) and Real Salt Lake (20th).
Giroud not the best-paid summer signing
This summer saw a few key signings come to MLS, none more notable than Giroud. However, he isn’t the best-paid newcomer to join the league.
Highest-paid newcomers
- Aleksey Miranchuk, Atlanta – $3,685,441
- Olivier Giroud, LAFC – $3,675,000
- Stuart Armstrong, Vancouver – $2,877,774
- Ezequiel Ponce, Houston – $2,822,200
- Pep Biel, Charlotte – $2,214,147
In total, 21 of the 29 teams increased their salary outlay from the spring release to this fall — an understandable trend as teams add players during the European offseason when free agents can push for higher wages than if a transfer fee was involved.
Additional trends and notes
- The average MLS salary is $596,226 in 2024, up 12.4% from $530,262 in 2023.
- In total, the release outlines $542,566,145 in guaranteed compensation across 910 players.
- 2025 expansion club San Diego FC has two players’ annualized salaries listed: Paddy McNair ($762,803) and Alex Mighten ($257,292).
(Top photos: Getty Images)
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