On one hand, it was revealed that Messi has a total annual amount exceeding $28 million, exactly $28,333,333.00. This figure, of course, did not include other types of income connected to his team, such as sponsors or the amount corresponding to him as an Inter Miami shareholder. There is also the base salary, which is $25,000,000.00.

On the other hand, Al Nassr turned Cristiano Ronaldo into the highest-paid player in the world. The Saudi club confirmed that Ronaldo agreed to terms on a two-year extension, as Marca reportedly sees him earn around $185 million annually. An absurd amount, even when compared to Messi.

Comparing Messi salary with MLS

Lionel Messi’s guaranteed salary is more than double that of any other soccer player in MLS at the moment. In second place on the list is Korean forward Son Heung-min, with just over $11 million in guaranteed compensation.

The highest paid players in MLS:

• Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) – $ 28.333.333
• Son Heung-min (LAFC) – $ 11.152.852
• Rodrigo De Paul (Inter Miami) – $ 9.688.320
• Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United) – $ 7.871.000
• Hirving Lozano (San Diego FC) – $ 9.333.333
• Emil Forsberg (New York Red Bulls) – $ 6.035.625
• Sam Surridge (Nashville SC) – $ 5.933.000
• Ricard Puig Marti (LA Galaxy) – $ 5.792.188
• Thomas Muller (Vancouver Whitecaps) – $ 5.152.504
• Jonathan Bamba (Chicago Fire FC) – $ 5.581.806

To give an idea, Miami’s $54.6 million payroll is more than $20 million higher than LAFC, who are second at $32.7 million, and nearly five times as much as Philadelphia’s league low of $11.7 million. Miami’s payroll was up from $46.8 million at the start of last season.

MLS makes these salaries possible

Something that helped make Messi’s contract possible was that total league compensation was $631 million, and the average guaranteed compensation of $688,816 on April 16 was up 8.9% from $632,809 as of last Oct. 1.

Messi’s initial MLS contract, agreed to in July 2023, included a $12 million base salary and annualized guaranteed compensation of $20,446,667. Messi agreed last October to a three-year contract through the 2028 season, then led the team to its first MLS title.

The roster features several notable omissions, most strikingly the absence of six 2022 World Cup heroes. Paulo Dybala, Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez, Franco Armani, Angel Di Maria, Juan Foyth, and Angel Correa will all miss out on Argentina’s title defense in North America.

While Dybala, Gomez, Correa, and Foyth were reportedly omitted due to a combination of injuries and declining form, the absences of Di Maria and Armani are final, as both veterans have officially retired from international duty.

In a major boost for Messi and company, FIFA has cleared Nicolas Otamendi for Argentina’s tournament opener. The veteran defender’s inclusion in the 55-man preliminary list solidifies the backline for the upcoming campaign across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Messi headlines Argentina’s 55-man preliminary roster

To complement his core of returning world champions, Scaloni has injected fresh blood into the squad. Several rising stars are vying for a final spot in the rotation, including Como’s Nico Paz, River Plate’s Santiago Beltran, and Benfica standout Gianluca Prestianni.

Here is Argentina’s full 55-man preliminary list:

• Goalkeepers
  • Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa
  • Geronimo Rulli – Olympique Marseille
  • Juan Musso – Atletico Madrid
  • Walter Benitez – Crystal Palace FC
  • Facundo Cambeses – Racing Club
  • Santiago Beltran – River Plate
• Defenders
  • Agustin Giay – Palmeiras
  • Gonzalo Montiel – River Plate
  • Nahuel Molina – Atletico de Madrid
  • Nicolas Capaldo – Hamburger SV
  • Kevin Mac Allister – Union Saint Gilloise
  • Lucas Martinez Quarta – River Plate
  • Marcos Senesi – Bournemouth
  • Lisandro Martinez – Manchester United
  • Nicolas Otamendi – SL Benfica
  • German Pezzella – River Plate
  • Leonardo Balerdi – Olympique Marseille
  • Cristian Romero – Tottenham Hotspur
  • Lautaro Di Lollo – Boca Juniors
  • Zaid Romero – Getafe CF
  • Facundo Medina – Olympique Marseille
  • Marcos Acuna – River Plate
  • Nicolas Tagliafico – Olympique Lyon
  • Gabriel Rojas – Racing Club
• Midfielders
  • Maximo Perrone – Calcio Como 1907
  • Leandro Paredes – Boca Juniors
  • Guido Rodriguez – Valencia CF
  • Anibal Moreno – River Plate
  • Milton Delgado – Boca Juniors
  • Alan Varela – FC Porto
  • Ezequiel Fernandez – Bayer Leverkusen
  • Rodrigo De Paul – Inter Miami
  • Exequiel Palacios – Bayer Leverkusen
  • Enzo Fernandez – Chelsea
  • Alexis Mac Allister – Liverpool
  • Giovani Lo Celso – Real Betis
  • Nicolas Dominguez – Nottingham Forest
  • Emiliano Buendia – Aston Villa
  • Valentin Barco – RC Strasbourg
• Forwards
  • Lionel Messi – Inter Miami
  • Nicolas Paz – Como 1907
  • Franco Mastantuono – Real Madrid
  • Thiago Almada – Atletico Madrid
  • Tomas Aranda – Boca Juniors
  • Nicolas Gonzalez – Atletico Madrid
  • Alejandro Garnacho – Chelsea
  • Giuliano Simeone – Atletico Madrid
  • Matias Soule – AS Roma
  • Claudio Echeverri – Girona FC
  • Gianluca Prestianni – SL Benfica
  • Santiago Castro – Bologna FC
  • Lautaro Martinez – Inter Milan
  • Jose Manuel Lopez – Palmeiras
  • Julian Alvarez – Atletico Madrid
  • Matteo Pellegrino – Parma Calcio

What’s next for Scaloni and Argentina?

Following the release of the 55-man preliminary squad, Scaloni and the Argentine federation must now trim the list to a final 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup. La Albiceleste have until the May 30 submission deadline to finalize their squad, with FIFA set to officially confirm all rosters on June 2, just one week before the World Cup kicks off.

The story he posted on his social media was accompanied by a photo of much of the squad led by Hansi Flick. Although he is no longer a player at the club, Messi remains emotionally connected to the institution.

Marcus Rashford from a free kick and Ferran Torres, both in the first half, secured the title for Barcelona. This marked Barça’s seventh championship since Messi’s departure in 2021.

Lamine Yamal following in Messi’s footsteps

At just 18 years old, the young star has already surpassed the early trophy count of the greatest legends, as Lamine Yamal won another LaLiga to secure his third major title with Barcelona. While Lionel Messi had only captured one trophy by the same age, Yamal’s rapid ascent has seen him become a fundamental pillar of the squad’s success, rewriting the record books with every championship he secures.

Barcelona win second title of the year

In the early days of January this year, Barcelona secured their first title of 2026. It also came against Real Madrid after defeating their biggest rival 3–2 in the Spanish Super Cup. Following today’s victory at Camp Nou, the Catalan side lifted its second trophy of the year.

According to DAZN, Messi faced Los Merengues 45 times during his Barcelona career. The Argentine recorded 19 wins, 11 draws, and 14 defeats, giving him a positive record against Barca’s fiercest rivals in La Liga. Although Messi played a big role in cutting down Madrid’s lead in the head-to-head record, Barcelona have now evened the scales, and won another league title since Messi left while doing so. Not only that, but Lamine Yamal has conquered another La Liga at the age of 18.

As for Cristiano, the Portuguese had his fair share of success against Barcelona, but his personal record is still negative. As reported by DAZN, Ronaldo finished his time in Madrid with eight victories, eight draws, and 14 losses against the Catalan side.

Messi’s history in ‘El Clasico’

Whenever Messi’s Barcelona took on Ronaldo’s Real Madrid, it was virtually guaranteed the two stars would make an impact. Numbers reflect that to perfection. Messi is the all-time leading goal scorer in El Clasico with 26 tallies against Real Madrid, including memorable moments like his dying-minutes’ game-winner in 2017 to score his 500th goal for Barca or his unstoppable run in the semifinals of the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League.

Needless to say, the sneaky forward was a constant headache for the club in Spain’s capital city. Messi no longer plays for Barcelona, but his name still sends chills down the spine of Madridistas.

Ronaldo’s goals tally against Barcelona

As for Ronaldo, Barcelona fans don’t have much better memories, either. Ronaldo is second—only behind Messi—in goals in the history of El Clasico with 18 tallies against the Culers. Arguably, Ronaldo’s most iconic goal against Barca was in the first-leg of the Spanish Super Cup in 2017.

The Portuguese netted a heat-seeking missile from the edge of the box to give Madrid the lead. Perhaps his celebration taking off his jersey to show off his physique became even more memorable than the goal in itself.

Ronaldo and Messi’s impact

Regardless, Messi and Ronaldo gave fans all across the globe unforgettable moments that will live on forever. Neither is still playing in Spain—in fact, both are now far away in Miami and Riyadh—but they will forever remain legends at Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabeu.

With every Clasico, their shadow still lingers over the rivalry, watching as new stars emerge and attempt to carve out their own place in a story that will forever be linked to Messi and Ronaldo.

On Instagram, De Paul uploaded a reposted image of Messi and himself with the following message: “My friend and my idol! Thank you for teaching me and helping me fulfill every one of my dreams!” De Paul added, along with a red heart emoji. “Always by your side no matter what,” De Paul concluded.

What was also curious about this post was the song that accompanied it, “Nos Veremos Otra Vez” (We’ll meet again) by Seru Giran. The title generated doubts about what he meant by the message, but there was context behind it. De Paul reposted his own publication, where he uploaded several photos of things that mattered in his life, and he reposted each one with a different message. There were photos of his children, his girlfriend, soccer, and his brother.

De Paul doubtful for the World Cup?

That was one of the doubts being raised. De Paul had received a lot of criticism since arriving at Inter Miami, regarding his performances, which put his call-up with Argentina into question, and whether he would really be part of the squad for the 2026 World Cup.

But it was almost a fact that he would be there. De Paul is a key piece in Scaloni’s system, and he was a player who had always received criticism but had still been called up and proved that with Argentina, he was a completely different player who performed without any doubts.

Messi and De Paul’s last match

In Inter Miami’s last match, where Messi and De Paul shared the field, Messi scored one goal and delivered two assists to become the fastest player to reach 100 goal contributions in MLS history, and Inter Miami defeated Toronto FC 4-2 on Saturday to extend their road winning streak to six matches.

De Paul scored and provided two assists to help Inter Miami recover from a 4-3 home loss against Orlando City after leading 3-0. The club had three draws and one loss at home since moving to Nu Stadium.

De Paul scored after a free kick and a rebound in 44′ minute to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead. The midfielder controlled the ball after it bounced off the wall and hit a second shot that struck the left post and went into the net.

This means Lamine Yamal has three LaLiga titles at age 18. That is more than Lionel Messi, who won his first LaLiga title at 18, which means Lamine Yamal’s legacy is arguably going at a faster pace.

Yamal has scored 16 goals so far this season, with 11 assists. Hence, he has been a key component for Barcelona this year. This means Yamal comes in good form for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

How many titles Yamal has won with Barcelona compared to Messi at age 18?

Yamal might have more league titles at age 18 than Messi, but overall, Messi had some other silverware that Yamal doesn’t have. A LaLiga, a Champions League, and a Spanish SuperCup were part of Messi’s titles.

For Yamal, he has more, with three LaLigas, a Copa del Rey, and a Spanish SuperCup. However, the Champions League Messi won is arguably worth more than the titles Yamal has won.

Lamine Yamal is arguably forging a huge legacy in Barcelona

Yamal has been a star ever since he stepped up into the scene. Being so young has allowed Yamal to get more LaLiga titles from an early age. Messi however, did plenty that Yamal hasn’t done. From Champions League to Ballon D’Ors, Yamal has ways to go.

The era of the Argentine No. 10 in Catalonia undeniably marked a before and after for the club. His unexpected departure to PSG set a precedent, and from that point on, Barca slowly began to rebuild.

While these seven titles won in recent years stand on their own merit, the reality is that they have all come in domestic competitions. Barcelona’s major unfinished business since Messi’s departure has been winning the Champions League, as their last triumph in the competition came in the 2014–15 season.

Barcelona’s post-Messi titles

3 LaLiga titles, 3 Spanish Super Cups, and 1 Copa del Rey. These are the trophies Barcelona have won since 2021, when Lionel Messi left the club to take the next step in his career.

Lionel Messi’s titles with Barcelona

Lionel Messi emerged throughout his career as one of the most influential players in soccer history. Having spent almost his entire stint at Barcelona, it was there that he collected a total of 35 titles before his departure.

• LaLiga (10): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19.
• Copa del Rey (7): 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21.
• Champions League (4): 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15.
• Spanish Super Cup (8): 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018.
• UEFA Super Cup (3): 2009, 2011, 2015.
• FIFA Club World Cup (3): 2009, 2011, 2015.

The day no one expected in Barcelona

On August 8, 2021, a tearful Lionel Messi officially announced his departure from FC Barcelona during a press conference at Camp Nou. His exit marked the end of a legendary 21-year tenure at the club, where he arrived as a teenager in 2000 and left as the greatest player in its history.

After the match, during the press conference, Hoyos, despite earning an important victory in Canada, did not forget about the media who pointed out against the No. 10 and dedicated a few words to them. “You have to take much better care of him; there is only one Messi. Take care of him because he fills stadiums; do not abandon him.

“Say whatever you have to say and do not be afraid of that, there is no problem at all with public expression. These players have to be protected because they fill stadiums, I am telling you directly here. We have to take care of the players, we have to protect them, the real protagonists are the soccer players,” declared The Herons’ head coach. Strong words.

Where Inter Miami came from

The Herons were coming off heavy criticism after the inexplicable loss against Orlando in the derby, in a game they were winning 3-0 and ended up losing 4-3, and this Saturday, they returned to winning ways. In the following days, there was criticism from the media toward the Argentine, who did not speak after the defeat, a topic that was heavily discussed throughout the week.

Messi is the man in MLS

The Inter Miami head coach emphasized that players with the hierarchy of Lionel Messi receive constant physical treatment during matches and considered it necessary for referees and organizers to be more attentive in order to preserve the spectacle.

Since his arrival to soccer in the United States, Messi has revolutionized the league with attendance records, ticket sales, and international audience numbers, becoming the main figure in MLS and a global reference who continues making a difference on and off the field.

The record Messi achieved

With Saturday’s goal, Messi became the fastest player in MLS history to reach 100 goal contributions. In his case, a total of 59 goals and 41 assists in 64 matches played. Across his entire career, he now has 907 goals and 410 assists in 1,151 matches. Incredible.

Before Leo, the record belonged to Sebastian Giovinco, who needed 95 matches to achieve it during his time with Toronto FC, precisely. Messi, meanwhile, already left his mark with unprecedented efficiency and broke the record with more than 30 matches to spare, a difference that illustrates the devastating impact of the Rosario native in American soccer.

With his output against Toronto FC, Messi reached 100 direct goal contributions in the MLS regular season. In doing so, he shattered Giovinco’s record to become the fastest player in league history to achieve this impressive feat.

The Italian originally set the mark in 2018, reaching 100 goal contributions in 95 matches. Messi, however, completely redefined the timeline, hitting the century mark in just 65 regular-season appearances.

Messi overtakes league legends

The Argentine superstar now sits atop a prestigious list of MLS icons. Rounding out the top three alongside Messi and Giovinco is LA Galaxy legend Robbie Keane, who reached 100 goal contributions in 96 games.

Just behind them is former LAFC talisman Carlos Vela, who hit the milestone in 98 matches. Completing the top five are Josef Martinez and Denis Bouanga, both of whom required 106 matches to reach the century mark.

A growing list of records

This latest milestone adds to an ever-growing list of accolades for Messi in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. Since his arrival, he has become the first player to record multiple goals in four consecutive games and the first to exceed 35 goal contributions in back-to-back seasons.

Furthermore, Messi made history by becoming the first player to win the MLS MVP award in two consecutive seasons (2024 and 2025). Even as he continues his tenure in the league, the Argentine captain remains the standard-bearer for excellence, proving he is still capable of playing at an elite level.

With this goal, Messi reached eight goals so far this season and continues to set the tone for his team. This goal marked the 907th of his career, further cementing his legacy.

Rodrigo De Paul, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Reguilon had previously scored for the Herons. With this result, the Inter Miami CF aim to keep pace with league leaders Nashville SC.

The team coached by Diego Hoyos reaches 22 points with this victory and sits just one point behind the leader. It is worth noting that Nashville SC have played two fewer matches.

Toronto FC fight back twice but fall short

When it seemed that Inter Miami CF were heading for a commanding win on their trip to Canada, the home side had other plans to add some drama to the match. Colombian forward Emilio Aristizabal scored twice for Toronto FC, but it was only enough for the statistics in a 4–2 final victory for the Herons.

What’s next for Inter Miami?

Inter Miami face a demanding stretch of matches in May 2026 as they look to climb the MLS standings. The Herons will first travel to face FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on May 13, followed by a quick turnaround to host the Portland Timbers at Nu Stadium on May 17.

The month concludes with a high-stakes home clash against the Philadelphia Union on May 24, testing the depth and endurance of the roster during a critical part of the regular season.

The match began as a cagey, hard-fought affair, but Rodrigo De Paul broke the deadlock just minutes before halftime. After his initial free-kick attempt struck the wall, the Argentine midfielder pounced on the rebound and fired home to give the visitors the lead.

Toronto FC pushed for an equalizer early in the second half, but Inter Miami looked far sharper than they had in the opening period. Luis Suarez doubled the lead, finishing a clinical sequence to provide the Herons with some breathing room.

With momentum firmly on their side, Sergio Reguilon and Messi put the game out of reach, scoring back-to-back goals within a two-minute span to silence the home crowd. As a consolation for the hosts, Emilio Aristizabal managed to cut the deficit with a brace late in the game, ensuring Toronto didn’t leave the pitch empty-handed.