How much will Lionel Messi make at Inter Miami?

With widespread reports now indicating that Lionel Messi will sign for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, the world is still coming to terms with what exactly that means. Consider for a moment that he turned down $1 billion to join the Saudi Arabian league and then there was also the club of his heart, FC Barcelona, to who he was expected to return. So, what happened?

What do we know about Lionel Messi’s contract with Inter Miami?

To be honest, not a whole lot and of the details we do have, there seems to be some conflict. Spanish publication ‘Sport’ has reported that the Argentine has been offered a four-year contract, while ‘Relevo’ has stated that the deal will run for two years. Where salary is concerned, the only figure we’ve seen is that from the aforementioned article out of Spain, which states that he will earn $54 million per season across those four years. Then, there are the added benefits.

It’s been reported, that the deal will also include commercial contracts with Apple and Adidas, both of whom are key MLS partners. Incidentally, Apple announced on Monday that they will be releasing a documentary about Messi, which follows his journey to World Cup glory last year. Then, there’s also been chatter of an option to buy a stake in Inter Miami being part of the package as well, something that was reported last year when talk of a deal first came up. Ultimately, though these things have all been reported, none have been confirmed. The only thing we can say for certain is that the 7-time FIFA World Player of the Year is heading to the U.S.A.

What happened to FC Barcelona’s move for Lionel Messi?

You may recall that as recently as Monday, Jorge Messi - Lionel’s father - said that “Leo wants to return to Barca.” Of course, you probably also know that the club’s financial woes were a major stumbling block for any move toward a reunion. Then, there were also the spending restrictions imposed by La Liga itself. Ultimately, no formal proposal was ever made to Messi, simply because the club couldn’t make one. What that effectively meant is that Barca were asking Messi to wait until they could resolve some of their problems before making an offer later in the summer. Clearly, that was not an option and, in the end, the 35-year-old chose a completely new adventure in Miami.

So, Messi to Miami and that’s that?

As stated above, there’s a lot of speculation about exactly what Messi is set to earn and for how long. With that said, it’s hard to imagine that at his age, he’d opt for a four-year contract anywhere. Yet, here’s the thing: It’s been said that Messi may yet be loaned back to his former club in Catalunya for the first part of his contract. Such a situation would of course allow him to play one more time for the club he holds dear, before heading back state side to bring the curtain down on his incredible career, while entertaining American fans. We’ve also got to consider that the 2026 World Cup will be held in the U.S.A. i.e., it’s plausible to believe he’d like to be there when it does. Regardless with both Apple and Adidas offering revenue share agreements, it’s clear they’d certainly like him to be as well. As we always say, watch this space.

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