Toronto FC midfielder Djordje Mihailovic (10) takes a shot on the goal on a free kick during the second half of an MLS soccer match against Chicago Fire, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague)
October 29, 2025 - 10:00 AM
Djordje Mihailovic's move to Toronto FC came with a $503,000 bump in pay (all figures in U.S. dollars), according to the latest salary figures released by the MLS Players Association.
The 26-year-old American playmaker has gone from a salary of $1.775 million with the Colorado Rapids to $2.278 million with Toronto. That increase will be pro-rated this season given his new deal came with his Aug. 7 trade.
Mihailovic tops the TFC salary chart but at a far smaller number than Italians Lorenzo Insigne ($15.4 million) and Federico Bernardeschi ($6.295 million), whose contracts were bought out midseason.
German star Thomas Mueller also comes at a reasonable price, at least for this season.
The Vancouver Whitecaps are paying Mueller $1.437 million, which will be also pro-rated since he signed as a free agent in early August. That ranks second to Scottish star Ryan Gauld's $3.675-million salary
The 36-year-old Mueller has a designated player contract option for 2026.
Under the MLS's labyrinthine salary rules, only a certain amount of a designated player's pay counts against a team's salary budget (in 2025, a DP who was 24 or older cost $743,750 against the salary cap budget of $5.95 million). Clubs can also use general allocation money to buy down a DP's salary cap charge (to no lower than $150,000).
Mihailovic and Gauld are both designated players.
Whitecaps winger Ali Ahmed continues to be one of the league's top bargains. The 25-year-old Canadian international is earning $159,375, which ranks 20th among the Whitecaps.
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, continues to lead the league at $20.447 million. The 38-year-old Argentine captain signed a contract extension last week that runs through the 2028 season.
Spanish stars Sergio Busquets ($8.775 million) and Jordi Alba ($6 million) are next on the Miami salary chart, although both are retiring at the end of the season.
Rodrigo de Paul ($3.619 million), Luis Suarez ($1.5 million) and Tadeo Allende($1 million) are other Miami players making seven-figure salaries.
Second behind Messi in guaranteed pay is LAFC forward Son Heung-min at $11.153 million. The South Korean captain arrived in early August from England's Tottenham.
Busquets ranks third, followed by Atlanta's Miguel Almiron ($8.775 million), San Diego's Hirving (Chucky) Lozano ($7.871 million), the New York Red Bulls' Emil Forsberg ($6.036 million), Alba, Los Angeles Galaxy's Riqui Puig ($5.780 million), Chicago's Jonathan Bamba ($5.582 million) and Nashville's Hany Mukhtar ($5.312 million).
The MLSPA figures, accurate as of Oct. 1, reflect guaranteed pay (unless pro-rated due to the player joining the league midseason),
Giacomo Vrioni topped CF Montreal players at $2.248 million this season. Montreal declined his 2026 contract option after the injury-plagued Albanian striker scored four goals in 10 appearances in all competitions since arriving last winter via a trade with New England.
Spanish midfielder Ivan Jamie, signed in August, and German forward Prince Owusu are next on the Montreal pay list at $1.991 million and $1.008 million, respectively.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio leads Canadian MLS players at $1.183 million, followed by TFC fullback/wingback Richie Laryea at $1.169 million.
Other Canadians of note include Vancouver defender Sam Adekugbe ($963,000), San Jose midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye ($800,000), LAFC midfielder Mathieu Choiniere ($698,780), Portland goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau ($648,333), Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair ($631,875) Montreal's Sam Piette ($561,016) and Chicago's Joel Waterman ($555,400).
Toronto FC midfielder Jose Cifuentes, an Ecuadorean international who arrived in August in loan from Glasgow Rangers, is earning ($1.405 million), second only to Mihailovic.
New England's Matt Turner is the highest-paid goalkeeper at $1.943 million. St. Louis 'keeper Roman Burki is next at $1`.708 million.
LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris' pay is listed at $700,000.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2025
News from © The Canadian Press, 2025