inter miami Co-owner George Maas reveals that captain Lionel Messi Between $70 million and $80 million are paid per year, which also includes player ownership shares, as Maas explained the team’s need to maximize sponsorship deals and additional forms of revenue.
Earlier this week, Miami signed an agreement with Brazilian financial services company Nu, which will have the naming rights to the team’s new stadium near Miami International Airport.
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The 26,700-seat Nu Stadium, which is under construction, is scheduled to host its first match on April 4.
“I need sponsors and the reason they need to be world-class is because players are expensive,” Mas told Bloomberg in an interview published Friday. “I pay Messi – worth every penny – but it’s $70 million to $80 million a year. On top of everything.”
Messi is Highest paid player in Major League SoccerEarning a base salary of $12 million with guaranteed compensation of $20,446,667, according to the salary guide released by the MLS Players Association.
ESPN has reported that Messi also benefits from other revenue streams, such as his endorsement deal with Adidas and a revenue sharing agreement with league broadcast partner Apple.
After joining the club in the summer of 2023, Messi signed an extension with Inter Miami last October that will run until the end of the 2028 season.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Inter Miami President of Business Operations Javier Asensi revealed that preparations to capitalize on the potential arrival of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner began long before Messi announced his intention to join the club.
“I don’t believe in luck, I think the definition of luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” Ascensi told ESPN.
“Things happen, or you can make them happen, but you have to be prepared for when they happen. Well, I think that’s exactly what we see here. Lionel’s arrival is not random; there is work behind it, a strategy and a plan to make it happen. It’s the American concept of ‘aim for the best, prepare for the worst.’
“You aspire to the highest level, and then, once you get there, you try to do things before, during, and after to maximize its impact.
“A real example is when we signed the main jersey sponsorship agreement in 2021. I included a clause that said if the club signed a player who has won at least five Ballon d’Or awards, the sponsorship costs would be doubled.
“It’s in the contract. It’s a contract for 2021. So, that’s the proof. I mean, in 2021, there were already contracts with clauses that mentally prepared the club and the structure in case Lionel potentially came here.”
Inter Miami’s record contract with Messi is proving profitable. This club is the most valuable of MLS According to Sportico, the team is worth $1.45 billion.
The outlet also reported that Inter Miami’s valuation increased 22% in a year.
“Why did we grow up? Because we won,” Ascensi said.
Asensi said that Messi’s impact on the financial aspect of the team is “night and day, black and white”, stressing that without his on-field contributions, the club would have been in a different situation.
He said, “Leo changes everything for the better, from one perspective.” “Since Lionel’s arrival, we have reached the US Open Cup final, won the League Cup, won the Supporters’ Shield, scored a record number of points, qualified for the Champions League, won the MLS Cup, reached another League Cup final, reached the Champions League semi-finals and qualified for the Club World Cup.
“I think it’s absolutely clear and obvious that Lionel’s presence on the pitch, as well as everything around him, has allowed the club to perform better, and it’s what I told you before: as a football club, we depend on what happens on the pitch.”
