Little unpopular news! The first annual salary in MLS is not Messi! De Bruyne was seriously injured three times, all thanks to Inter Milan

Today I bring a little bit of unpopular news to my friends. One is Lionel Messi. So in MLS, the outside world basically believes that based on annual salary alone, the highest annual salary in the history of Major League Soccer (MLS) must be our boss Mei, but he is wrong. He is the Asian King Son Heung-min. Is it unexpected or surprising? The second unwelcome news comes from Serie A. Naples' core De Bruyne is seriously injured for the first time and may be absent for 5 months. In this way, the defending champion will pay him nearly 5 million euros in salary. In addition, the three serious injuries in the Belgian midfielder's career are all due to Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri is really Tintin's super nemesis.

Sun Heung-min's annual salary of US$21.2 million has reached the top, surpassing Messi and setting a history.

Since bidding farewell to Tottenham last summer and going to the United States to join Los Angeles FC, Son Heung-min has not only continued his stellar performance, but also completely rewritten the MLS salary record in the 2025 season. According to the latest salary list, Son Heung-min ranks first in MLS history with an annual salary of US$21.2 million, which is US$750,000 more than Messi! Messi ranks second with $20.45 million. It is worth mentioning that the salary of these two people is higher than the total salary of the 21 teams in the league this season, making them a wealthy family per capita.

Los Angeles FC originally spent US$28 million to take Son Heung-min away from the Premier League. This transaction itself set a new MLS transfer fee record. Now, this investment has begun to pay off: on the field, Son Heung-min has quickly become the core of the team's offense; in business, the "Sonny effect" has fully exploded. Only two months after joining, Son Heung-min's jersey sales soared to first in the team and second in the league, second only to Messi! Data shows that Los Angeles FC's away attendance increased by 16%, and TV ratings also doubled. The American media ridiculed: "MLS has found the second star that can sell out, and his surname is Sun."

However, although Son Heung-min has surpassed Messi in terms of salary, in terms of overall income, he is dwarfed by Messi! Boss Mei not only holds a basic annual salary of US$20.45 million, but also owns shares in International Miami, broadcast dividends and multiple brand endorsements. According to estimates by Sportico, he is expected to earn $150 million during his two-and-a-half-year MLS contract. A player, a player plus owner, and the flag of Major League Soccer are not at the same level at all. However, in terms of annual salary alone, Son Heung-min is higher than the world champion, which is enough to make his fans brag for a while.

De Bruyne was seriously injured, and Naples paid 4.6 million euros in salary in vain.

In the Serie A focus match between Naples and Inter Milan, the team's core Kevin De Bruyne was unfortunately seriously injured after taking a penalty kick and scoring. Diagnosed after the game: The muscle on the back of his right leg was severely torn, and he is expected to be sidelined for five months. This not only means that he will miss the entire winter schedule, but also directly costs Naples nearly 4.6 million euros in salary. According to statistics from the Capology website, De Bruyne is the highest-paid player in the team, with a weekly salary of 214,000 euros and an annual salary of 11.1 million euros.

The most unexpected thing is that this is the third time De Bruyne has been seriously injured against Inter Milan. In the past while playing for Manchester City, he fell down twice in games against Inter Milan. From the Premier League to Serie A, from Manchester to Naples, Inter Milan is really "ruthless", and Ding Ding is really unlucky.

De Bruyne has played 11 Serie A games this season with 5 goals and several key assists, leading Naples to the top of the standings with 21 points in 9 rounds. Now that he is down, not only does Conte lose a midfield engine, but it also casts a shadow on the team's championship plan. The media pointedly wrote: "Naples has lost its two pillars: people and money."