Guess what? Messi's pulling in over $20.4 million for his first full season with Inter Miami in the MLS. That's more than what most other teams in the league can muster up.
Last summer, Messi made the big move to Inter Miami, and now he's raking in a base salary of $10.4 million. But wait, there's more! His total annual compensation hits a staggering $20,446,667. And hey, that's just what he's getting from his MLS gig, running straight through to 2025. We're talking salary, marketing bonuses, and agent fees, folks. Not to mention any other sweet deals he's got cooking with the team or its buddies.
The man himself, turning 37 next month, has been on fire this season, netting 10 goals. He's just one shy of leading the MLS scoring charts. Miami's not just riding on Messi's coattails though. They're splashing cash like it's going out of style, boasting a league-leading $41.7 million payroll. That's double what most teams can even dream of, with Toronto ($31.4 million) and Chicago ($25.1 million) playing catch-up.
Messi's got some star-studded buddies on the team too. There's Sergio Busquets, pulling in a cool $8,774,996. And let's not forget Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba, both pocketing $1.5 million each.
But it's not all sunshine and rainbows across the league. St. Louis is scraping by with the lowest payroll among the 29 teams, barely hitting $12 million. The LA Galaxy and Atlanta have tightened their belts, trimming down their payrolls, while Toronto's been pumping cash into its squad. Lorenzo Insigne is sitting pretty in second place for compensation at $15.4 million.
And what about the new kids on the block? Chicago's got Hugo Cuypers, eyeing a hefty paycheck of $3,528,044, while LAFC's got Hugo Lloris guarding the net for a modest $350,000.
Now, let's talk averages. Senior roster players are pulling in a mean base salary of $513,075, up 8.4% from last year. Total guaranteed compensation? Averaging at $594,389.
The league's dishing out some serious cash, with total player compensation skyrocketing to $519 million. That's up a whopping 12.8% from last season and a staggering 31.2% since 2022.
And for the homegrown heroes? Walker Zimmerman's leading the pack with $3,456,979, followed by Jesús Ferreira at $2,204,000, and Jordan Morris at $1,693,750. So, yeah, the MLS ain't playing around when it comes to paying up.
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