How much Lionel Messi will earn at Inter Miami

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Jun 2023 06:39 CDT
• 3 min read

Lionel Messi has announced that he wants to join Inter Miami in what is set to be a very lucrative deal for the Argentine.

Although no contract has as yet been signed, with David Beckham's MLS club still working on the final details, it appears to be only a matter of time before the 35-year-old can be officially unveiled as an Inter Miami player.

The south Florida club and Major League Soccer at large have had to get a bit creative in order to be able to make Messi an offer that could rival the massive bid made by Saudi side Al-Hilal, where the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner would have earned north of €1 billion over two years had he accepted.

READ: Lionel Messi’s PSG SECRET revealed ahead of Inter Miami transfer

Indeed, Messi's contract reportedly won't include only wages and bonuses but also commercial revenue from MLS's sponsors and the league's broadcaster in what is set to be an unprecedented deal in world football.

How much will Lionel Messi earn at Inter Miami?

Some reports put Messi's annual Inter salary at £43 million (€50m) - which would make him by far the highest-paid athlete in Miami - but again, a contract is still to be signed, so we don't yet know the exact details of how much he will actually earn in wages, bonuses, etc. We do, however, know about his potential sources of income.

In an interview in March, league commissioner Don Garber revealed that MLS was prepared to "run every opportunity" to bring Messi to the US and this is clearly what has happened. As the Athletic has reported, his Miami contract will see Messi earn a cut of the revenue generated by league broadcaster Apple TV, who are currently in the first year of a decade-long, $2.5 billion deal.

Moreover, Adidas, who supply the league's gear, balls and footwear, have come up with a profit-sharing agreement for Messi that will see the Argentine, who signed a lifetime contract with Adidas in 2017, receive a percentage of the MLS-related profits generated by the German sportswear manufacturer.

READ: Messi, Beckham and greatest MLS players ever

When the World Cup winner signed for PSG, the French club reportedly sold more than one million shirts, so the income from this Adidas accord could be considerable.

There have also been reports that Messi has been given the option to purchase a stake in an MLS club - similar to the arrangement offered to David Beckham which culminated in him establishing Inter Miami - but this claim is still the subject of debate.

This page will be regularly updated as more details of Messi's Inter Miami contract emerge.