"Inter Miami" striker Lionel Messi will receive a base salary of 25 million US dollars under his new contract in 2026.
This was reported by the AP agency citing the MLS Players Association.
Overall, the guaranteed income of the 38-year-old Argentine this year should amount to 28 million 333 thousand 333 dollars.
"Inter Miami"'s total payroll is 54.6 million dollars. This figure is 20 million dollars more than "Los Angeles," which ranks second (32.7 million). Compared to "Philadelphia," which has the lowest budget in the league (11.7 million), this amount is approximately five times higher. At the beginning of the 2025 season, "Inter"'s payroll was 46.8 million dollars.
Messi's first contract with the MLS representative, signed in July 2023, included a base salary of 12 million dollars and guaranteed compensation amounting to about 20.5 million dollars annually. In October 2025, Messi signed a three-year contract extending until the end of the 2028 season, after which he led the team to its first MLS championship in history. //Operativ Media