It is not surprising that the 2022 World Cup champion is the highest-paid player in the history of the American Professional League (MLS), with a salary of 20.4 million dollars/season (16.8 million pounds/season).

New data released by the MLS Players Association shows that Lionel Messi is earning a huge sum of $20.4 million/season at owner David Beckham’s team.

Accordingly, the Argentine striker receives a base salary of $12 million, plus another $8.4 million in guaranteed bonuses and a contract signing fee.

Messi receives the highest salary in the history of the American professional tournament

The above official numbers are only a part of the amount of money Messi receives every year, because he also earns a lot from major sponsorship contracts with Apple, Adidas and Fanatics.

Inter Miami Club co-owner Jorge Mas once revealed that Messi’s total annual income in the US ranges from $50 million to $60 million.

Even without advertising sponsorship, Messi still dominates the top paid players in MLS.

Lorenzo Insigne is the second-ranked player in the league, earning $15.4 million (£12.7 million) from Toronto FC each season.

Lorenzo Insigne is ranked second in the top paid players in MLS

While former Liverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri has the third highest salary in the American professional league with a contract of $8.1 million (£6.7 million) per season.

Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets both followed Messi to Florida. However, the remuneration they receive is lower than that of the Argentine superstar.

Busquets pockets $1.8m (£1.5m) per season, while Jordi Alba is more modest with a salary of $1.25m (£1m).

Top 10 players with the highest salaries in MLS (unit: million pounds)