Messi’s salary revealed by Inter Miami owner

Ever since Lionel Messi’s groundbreaking move to MLS, questions have surrounded his supersized salary package that Inter Miami were able to offer him to convince him to join the North American league. Now, those numbers have been confirmed thanks to recent comments from Inter Miami owner, Jorge Mas.

Club co-owner Mas revealed that the Argentine earns between $70 million and $80 million per year as part of his deal with the Miami outfit, with that figure going far beyond a traditional football salary in the league, reflecting Messi’s global appeal.

Messi’s salary “worth every penny” says Miami boss

“The reason that I need to have sponsors and for them to be world-class is because players are expensive,” Mas told Bloomberg in an interview published on Friday. “I pay Messi, worth every penny, but it’s $70 million to $80 million a year. Across everything.”

Messi’s salary breakdown

While the forward’s official MLS salary is far lower, the total compensation package tells a different story. Messi’s base wage is about $12 million annually, with guaranteed compensation exceeding $20 million once you add on his significant bonuses.

The much larger yearly total comes from commercial agreements, profit-sharing arrangements and long-term incentives built into the deal with companies woven into the infrastructure of the league, such as Apple and Adidas. All these elements add together to make him the highest-earner in the league.

Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 after leaving Paris Saint‑Germain, turning what had been a young franchise into one of the most talked-about teams in world football. His arrival sparked an immediate commercial boom, boosting ticket sales across the country, sponsorship deals and global visibility for the league.

The club’s leadership has also been expanding its commercial reach. Inter Miami recently secured naming rights for its new stadium through a partnership with Brazilian financial services company Nu, another example of the sponsorship growth that executives credit partly to Messi’s presence.

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