Son Heung-min's Salary Ranks 2nd in MLS at $11.15 million… $17.18 million Behind Messi
Son Heung-min's guaranteed compensation for 2026 is $11.15 million, second in MLS. At the time of his transfer, he ranked 16th in Premier League career goals and 5th in Tottenham's all-time scoring list.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-Line Summary
- Son Heung-min's average annual guaranteed compensation for 2026 is $11,152,852, second in the league (based on contracts as of April 16).
- No. 1 Messi receives $28,333,333, which is 2.54 times Son's figure. The difference between the two is about $17.18 million.
- Son scored 173 goals in 454 official matches for Tottenham, fifth on the club's all-time scoring list. His Premier League record is 127 goals and 71 assists.
On May 12, 2026, the MLS Players Association (MLSPA) released this year's salary guide. Lionel Messi (then 38) ranked first in average annual guaranteed compensation. Son Heung-min (then 33) was second. But Son has more than one ranking. He is 2nd in salary, was 5th in Tottenham's all-time scoring at the time of his transfer, and was 16th in Premier League career goals.
Son Heung-min's Salary Ranks 2nd in MLS, $11.15 million in Guaranteed Compensation
According to the MLS Players Association salary guide, Son Heung-min's average annual guaranteed compensation for 2026 is $11,152,852. The salary guide is published twice a year, so the amounts and rankings may change in the next edition. No. 1 Messi receives $28,333,333. Dividing Messi's figure by Son's gives 2.54 times, and subtracting leaves a gap of about $17.18 million.
| Rank | Player | Club | Guaranteed Compensation (USD) | Difference from Son (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | 28,333,333 | +17,180,481 |
| 2 | Son Heung-min | LAFC | 11,152,852 | — |
| 3 | Rodrigo De Paul | Inter Miami | 9,688,320 | −1,464,532 |
| 4 | Hirving Lozano | San Diego FC | 9,333,333 | −1,819,519 |
| 5 | Miguel Almirón | Atlanta United | 7,871,000 | −3,281,852 |
The difference from No. 3 Rodrigo De Paul is only about $1.46 million. The $17.18 million gap with No. 1 is about 11.7 times larger than the gap with No. 3. In its world athlete earnings ranking released in May 2026, Forbes estimated Messi's total annual income, including off-field earnings such as endorsements, at about $140 million.
Base Salary of $10.36 million vs. Guaranteed Compensation of $11.15 million
The same salary guide lists two different amounts. Son Heung-min's base salary is $10,368,750, and his guaranteed compensation is $11,152,852. Guaranteed compensation is the base salary plus signing bonuses, guaranteed bonuses and the like, converted to a one-year average. So adding the two amounts would count the same money twice. The difference is $784,102, about 7.6% of the base salary.
Messi's base salary is $25 million and his guaranteed compensation is $28,333,333, a difference of about 13.3%. Sports Illustrated ranked Almirón fourth and Lozano fifth by base salary. By guaranteed compensation, Lozano comes out ahead. This article uses guaranteed compensation as its standard.
Son Heung-min, Age 34, Heads to LAFC Amid Reports of $26 million Transfer Fee
Son Heung-min is a South Korean forward born on July 8, 1992, and is 34 years old as of September 14, 2026. He debuted for the first team at Hamburger SV in 2010 and moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013. He joined Tottenham in August 2015 and became captain in 2023. He captained the team to the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League title. He currently plays for LAFC as a Designated Player (DP).
LAFC announced the signing of Son Heung-min on August 6, 2025. His contract runs through 2027. It also carries a 2028 option and a further option through June 2029. Neither club disclosed the transfer fee. The official MLS website reported that the fee was reported at up to $26.5 million, and it also cited reports from ESPN and The Athletic of about $26 million. If the reports are accurate, it is the highest transfer fee in MLS history.
LAFC's match recap credited Son with 11 assists, tied for second, after the 2-2 draw against Real Salt Lake on September 5. Aju Press later reported that Son ranks second with 12 regular-season assists, behind Messi (13 assists) (as of the report on September 13, 2026). We could not cross-check this ranking against the official MLS standings, so we present it only as a reported figure.
454 Matches, 173 Goals for Tottenham, 5th in Club's All-Time Scoring
Tottenham Hotspur, in its transfer announcement on August 6, 2025, described Son as having 454 official matches and 173 goals, fifth in the club's all-time scoring. Dividing matches by goals, he scored about once every 2.6 matches. In appearances, he ranks 7th in club history.
The 173 goals is the total across all official competitions; counting only Premier League goals, it is 127. The other 46 goals came in non-league competitions. That means 73.4% of his total goals were league goals. Tottenham's general player page lists 473 matches, but without an explanation of what it covers, so we used 454 matches as the standard.
Son Heung-min 16th in Premier League Career Goals (at Time of Transfer), 127 Goals and 71 Assists
| Category | Record | All-Time Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 127 goals | 16th |
| Assists | 71 assists | 17th |
| Goal Contributions | 198 | 13th |
Premier League's official retrospective says Son ranked 16th in career league goals and 17th in assists when he left. Combining the two, his 198 goal contributions rise to 13th. These rankings can slip as active players add to their totals, so they should not be cited as the current standings.
The season Son finished first in Premier League scoring was 2021/22. He scored 23 goals to share the Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah, the first Asian player to win it. Tottenham announced that he is the Premier League's all-time leading Asian goalscorer.
The research reference date for this article is September 14, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where does Son Heung-min's salary rank in MLS?
In the MLS Players Association's 2026 salary guide (based on contracts as of April 16), Son Heung-min ranks second with average annual guaranteed compensation of $11,152,852. First is Lionel Messi, who receives $28,333,333.
Q. How old is Son Heung-min?
He was born on July 8, 1992, and is 34 years old as of September 14, 2026. He was 33 on August 6, 2025, when his move to LAFC was announced.
Q. What are Son Heung-min's Premier League career numbers?
During his time at Tottenham, he recorded 127 goals and 71 assists in the Premier League, for 198 goal contributions. At the time of his transfer he ranked 16th in league career goals, and in the 2021/22 season he shared the Golden Boot with 23 goals.
Related Official Sites
- MLS Players Association Official Salary Guide — Source data on base salaries and guaranteed compensation for all MLS players
- MLS Official Player Stats — Season player stats page run by MLS
- LAFC Official Son Heung-min Profile — Current club and season stats
- Tottenham Official Son Heung-min Legend Records — Summary of his career records from his Tottenham years
Lead image · Archive photo · Not a photo from a current match in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Ujishadow), CC BY-SA 4.0
Related Reading
· "A Fantastic First Year Since Joining MLS"… Son Heung-min's $11.15 million Salary, 2nd in MLS
· "It Will Help My Confidence"… Son Heung-min's $11.15 million Salary, All-Star Trip Alongside Müller
Wait Editor · See more of the profile and articles