According to reports, Lionel Messi receives $65 million from Inter Miami each year in addition to an additional $70 million from sponsorships.
With an estimated yearly salary of £111.3 million, Lionel Messi is the first player since David Beckham to be listed on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid football players while participating in Major League Soccer.
Messi stunned the soccer world by choosing to sign a two-and-a-half-year, £53 million contract with Inter Miami, an MLS team that is partially owned by Beckham, rather than accept the riches of Saudi Arabia. According to reports, he declined a contract for £433 million a year, which would have made him the highest-paid athlete in history.
Rather, the top spot on Forbes’ list goes to his former opponent Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns £164.9 million a year from his deal with Al-Nassr. Thanks to his off-field deals, Messi has nevertheless been able to land a lucrative job despite turning down the Saudi Pro League.
Messi’s contract, like Beckham’s, gave him the option to invest in Inter Miami and purchase into the league after he retires. In addition, he receives a percentage of earnings from sponsorship deals worth £57 million a year from Adidas and Apple TV, which owns the global broadcast rights to Major League Soccer.
Since Messi’s arrival, Inter Miami has sold out stadiums everywhere it has played, with supporters lining up to see the icon, often for thousands of dollars for tickets. Season ticket holders in Miami have been invited to renew their tickets by email; some have been quoted costs that are double what they are already paying.
Messi won’t play club soccer from the end of October until next February because Miami was unable to advance to the MLS Playoffs despite helping the team win their first title, the Leagues Cup.
Barcelona and the Saudi Pro League reportedly expressed interest in signing him on a loan, but he decided to devote the MLS summer to playing for Argentina.
Messi is expected to play two games in Miami’s regular season after the current international break. He will then play two matches against Argentina in November, followed by several friendlies with Miami before taking a five-week vacation.