Revealed: Thomas Müller's new salary with MLS club is pennies compared to Messi's Inter Miami wages

After a glittering, trophy-laden career spanning over 600 appearances at Bayern Munich, Thomas Müller is officially heading to Major League Soccer.

The Bundesliga legend is reportedly set to join the Vancouver Whitecaps.

While the move makes him the highest-paid player in the club’s history, exclusive details are now emerging about the complex financial terms required to get him there.

According to German outlet BILD via Goal, Müller is expected to pocket around €6.6 million over the next year-and-a-half with the Whitecaps. 

This figure automatically makes him the highest earner at Vancouver.

However, securing a player of Müller's calibre within the MLS's unique salary structure is not quite straightforward.

The league operates with a salary cap, and clubs typically have a limited number of "Designated Player" (DP) slots – usually up to three, for players whose salaries fall outside this cap. 

These slots are currently occupied by players like Messi, who command global wages.

For the remainder of the current 2025 season, the Whitecaps already have two DP slots filled by team captain Ryan Gauld (earning a guaranteed $3.675 million, or approximately £2.8 million) and Andrés Cubas (around $1.146 million, or approximately £0.9 million) as per Sportrac.

This meant Müller initially had a paltry €300,000 equivalent available within the strict salary cap. 

According to the aforementioned outlet, the Whitecaps utilised Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), a mechanism that allows clubs to sign impactful players when DP spots are unavailable.

Additionally, the unfortunate injury to Canadian defender Sam Adekugbe freed up his salary, which could then be reassigned to Müller, allowing him to earn around €600,000 until the winter break.

Looking ahead to the full 2026 season, the Whitecaps are expected to shift to a three-Designated Player model, with Müller expected to occupy that third prestigious slot, reportedly agreeing to a salary of €6 million for that campaign.

Despite Müller's new deal making him Vancouver's highest-paid player and one of the top earners in the entire MLS, the financial comparison with his former rival, Lionel Messi, is miles off.

Müller's expected annual earnings of approximately €4.4 million (based on €6.6 million over 1.5 years, or €6 million for a full year in 2026) are a stark contrast to Messi's reported €19 million (approximately £16.5 million) per year at Inter Miami.

This means Müller will be earning less than a third of Messi's colossal salary.

To put it further into perspective, Müller's final contract at Bayern Munich was reportedly worth a staggering €20 million per year, highlighting the massive pay cut he's taken for this new adventure in the U.S.

Even his former Germany teammate Marco Reus, is reportedly earning around €1 million at LA Galaxy, dwarfing Müller's initial partial-season earnings.

The basic agreement between Müller and Vancouver has been reached, with the 35-year-old set to put pen to paper immediately after his Bayern contract officially expires on August 1.