Messi remains highest paid player in MLS with base salary of $28m

Al Jazeera · 🇶🇦 public Qatar · May 13, 2026 · 346 words · By AFP

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What to know about Messi remains highest paid player in MLS with base salary of $28m

Messi doubles MLS base salary to make $28m a year at Inter Miami Miami and Argentina player earns more more than twice as much as the second-highest-paid player in Major League Soccer.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center100%

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5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Messi doubles MLS base salary to make $28m a year at Inter Miami Miami and Argentina player earns more more than twice as much as the second-highest-paid player in Major League Soccer.

Why it matters

Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer with an annual base salary of $25m, more than twice as much as the next-highest-paid player, Son Heung-min, the MLS Players Association says.

Common ground

According to the figures released on Tuesday, Messi’s base salary has doubled, while overall the deal will see him make $28.3m in guaranteed compensation.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Messi remains highest paid player in MLS with base salary of $28m?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Messi’s compensation reflect his option to acquire a stake in the Florida franchise, co-owned by David Beckham, which he joined in 2023?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/5/13/messi-doubles-mls-base-salary-to-make…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 3

schedule Pending 3

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified

Claim 1: “Messi’s compensation reflect his option to acquire a stake in the Florida franchise, co-owned by David Beckham, which he joined in 2023”

VERIFIED

Web search results confirm Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 and that the deal involved equity/stake options in the franchise co-owned by David Beckham.

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web search NEUTRAL — Inside the Lionel Messi to Inter Miami deal — seeing off Saudis, equity offers and Beckham and Co.'s secret trip
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4667336/2023/07/15/lionel-m…

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web search NEUTRAL — After revealing his decision to join Inter Miami CF of MLS, Lionel Messi makes it official, signing a historic contract with David Beckham's club.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mls/2023/07/15/lionel-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Inter Miami CF has confirmed the signing of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, ahead of unveiling the blockbuster new arrival to MLS at its DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37820397/inter-miami-…

info

Claim 2: “Mexico’s Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is fourth on the list with $9.3m”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is mentioned in the 'MLS highest paid players 2026' search result as Hirving Lozano being next at $9.3 million, but no other independent source in the provided evidence corroborates this.

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Claim 3: “the contract extension Messi signed with Inter Miami in October, which will keep him with the Florida outfit through the 2028 campaign”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (ESPN and a report on Inter Miami owner disclosures) confirm Messi signed a contract extension in October that keeps him with the club through the 2028 season.

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web search NEUTRAL — Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi

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web search NEUTRAL — Messi signed a three-year contract extension with Inter Miami in October.The world-renowned attacker signed a three-year contract extension on Oct. 23, keeping him with the club through the 2028 seaso…
https://www.si.com/soccer/worth-every-penny-inter-miami-lion…

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web search NEUTRAL — Inter Miami still have time to heed the warning of Saturday's Canadian opponents and chase a more cohesive roster in the years to come. Messi recently signed a contract extension with the club through…
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48725382/inter-miami-…

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Claim 4: “overall the deal will see him make $28.3m in guaranteed compensation”

CORROBORATED

Both RTL Today and NBC Los Angeles report the total guaranteed compensation for Messi as $28.3 million.

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web search NEUTRAL — It continued to operate until 1993 as a holding company for their toy stores. In 2006, Lionel's electric train became the first electric toy inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. The model trai…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Corporation

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web search NEUTRAL — BACK Ready-to-Run Train Sets Lionel HO Products Layout Control System Lionel Holiday Memories The Polar Express Train Cars Lionel Gear Track & Power Locomotives Accessories Made in USA Personalization…
https://www.lionel.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — LionelStore.com is part of Lionel Brands Group © 2026 Lionel Brands Group LLC. All Rights Reserved
https://www.lionelstore.com/

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Claim 5: “Total league compensation was listed at $631m, with the average guaranteed compensation $688,816, an 8.9 percent rise from figures released last October”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer with an annual base salary of $25m”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (VnExpress International, RTL Today, and Break The Web) confirm Messi's base salary is $25 million and that he is the highest-paid player in MLS.

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web search NEUTRAL — According to the figures Messi's base salary has doubled while overall the deal will see him make $28.3 million in guaranteed compensation. South Korea star Son, the former Tottenham captain who signe…
https://today.rtl.lu/sport/international/messi-still-highest…

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web search NEUTRAL — Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer with an annual base salary of US$25 million, more than twice as much as the next-highest paid player Son Heung-min, the MLS Players …
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/sports/football/lionel-messi-ea…

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web search NEUTRAL — Lionel Messi's salary of approximately $25 million annually places him among the highest-paid athletes globally. While his MLS salary is substantial, it still falls short of earnings in other leagues,…
https://btw.co/node/10578908/messi-mls-pay/

info

Claim 7: “He led the league with 29 goals last season and was named Most Valuable Player for the second straight season”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only one source (RTL Today) mentions that he led the league with 29 goals and was named MVP for the second straight season. Other provided evidence for this claim is irrelevant (model trains).

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web search NEUTRAL — LionelStore.com is part of Lionel Brands Group © 2026 Lionel Brands Group LLC. All Rights Reserved
https://www.lionelstore.com/

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Claim 8: “Miami’s $54.6m payroll is more than $20m higher than LAFC, which is second at $32.7m, and nearly five times as much as Philadelphia’s league-low $11.7m”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 9: “The 38-year-old Messi... has 59 goals in 64 MLS regular-season games with Miami”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results about the 'Lionel Corporation' (model trains) and does not contain any data regarding Messi's age or goal statistics.

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schedule

Claim 10: “Miami’s payroll is up from $46.8m at the start of last season”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 11: “Atlanta’s Miguel Almiron rounds out the top five with guaranteed compensation of $7.9m”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support the claim regarding Miguel Almiron's salary or ranking.

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Claim 12: “Son Heung-min, the former Tottenham captain who signed with Los Angeles FC last August for a reported MLS record $26m transfer fee, has a base salary of $10.36m, with total guaranteed compensation of $11.2m”

CORROBORATED

VnExpress International and Transfermarkt corroborate the transfer of Son Heung-min to LAFC, the $26 million fee, and the specific salary figures ($10.36m base / $11.2m guaranteed).

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web search NEUTRAL — Son Heung-min was born in Chuncheon, South Korea.[24] He is of the Miryang Son clan [ko].[25] His father, Son Woong-jung, is a retired footballer turned manager who once played for the South Korea nat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Heung-min

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web search NEUTRAL — South Korea star Son, the former Tottenham captain who signed with Los Angeles FC last August for a reported MLS record $26 million transfer fee, has a base salary of $10.36 million with total guarant…
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/sports/football/lionel-messi-ea…

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web search NEUTRAL — #7 Heung-min Son. Yılın Fubolcusu 8 FIFA Puskás Ödülü 1 UEFA Avrupa Ligi 1 Asya Oyunları 1. Los Angeles FC.The total fee is made up of profit sharing (€ 2 million) and education compensation (€ 500,00…
https://www.transfermarkt.com.tr/heung-min-son/profil/spiele…

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Claim 13: “Messi’s Inter Miami and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul is third on the list with $9.7m in guaranteed compensation”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (MLS highest paid players 2026, RTL Today, and NBC Los Angeles) confirm Rodrigo De Paul is among the top paid with approximately $9.6m-$9.7m in guaranteed compensation.

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web search NEUTRAL — Rodrigo De Paul, Messi's teammate with Inter Miami and Argentina, is third with a $9.7 million salary. San Diego FC's Hirving Lozano is next at $9.3 million.Highest-paid MLS players for 2026. *Guarant…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/mls/2026/05/12/…

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web search NEUTRAL — He led the league with 29 goals last season and was named Most Valuable Player for the second straight season. Messi's Inter Miami and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul is third on the least with $9.…
https://today.rtl.lu/sport/international/messi-still-highest…

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web search NEUTRAL — Along with Messi, here's a look at the highest-paid MLS players in 2026 in terms of guaranteed compensation: 1. Lionel Messi, RW, Inter Miami: $28.3 million. 2. Son Heung-min, LW/ST, LAFC: $11.1 milli…
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/soccer/mls-highest…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.