Lionel Messi’s decision to swap European football for Inter Miami of Major League Soccer sent shockwaves around the world of football.
The all-time great refused to succumb to the allure of Saudi Arabia and instead opted to continue his career in the States after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. Messi has the capacity to dominate at the highest level and for many it’s a shame to see him exit Europe in favour of MLS.
Nevertheless, the arrival of Messi is the most major of coups for American soccer and he is poised to join Eastern Conference side Inter Miami who are in horrendous shape and desperately need Messi’s magic to reignite their campaign. However, it’s not yet clear when he’ll officially join the club.
The player’s decision to switch Paris for Miami was certainly a surprise considering the mammoth offer he received from Al-Hilal, but his reported salary with the MLS club certainly won’t leave him cash shy.
Here’s how Messi‘s salary with Inter Miami compares to his new teammate
“If it had been a matter of money, I’d have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere,” said Messi as he confirmed his decision to move to MLS. “It seemed like a lot of money to me. The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money.”
An offer worth in excess of €400m per season was waiting for Messi in Saudi Arabia, where Al Hilal were ready to hand out that unfathomable amount of money, but the allure of Miami proved too strong to turn down.
In terms of his base salary at Inter Miami, Messi is going to be getting significantly less than that. While there is some mystery over the exact terms of his contract, the general belief seems to be that he will get £43m per season at Inter Miami. That is very low in comparison to Saudi Arabia, but there are going to be a number of perks.
He may be handed a purchase option of an MLS club for when he retires, which is what Beckham received at LA Galaxy. Brands such as Apple and adidas are reported to have been a part of the project to acquire Messi. A $2.5bn deal was signed by Apple and MLS earlier this year and it is thought Messi is going to be a part of that.
Furthermore, adidas are said to have been looking into a profit-sharing agreement with Messi. The specifics are not known and may never be known fully, but what is clear is that Messi will be pocketing a lot more than £43m per season from this move.
