Lionel Messi is coming to Major League Soccer and Inter Miami; the cat is out of the bag and what was an announcement by Messi is slowly turning into reality. Reports have indicated that Messi has agreed to 100% of the terms of his new MLS deal and it will make him one of the highest paid athletes in the United States.
On salary alone, Messi will earn within the $50-60 million range, as confirmed by Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas. Then Messi is set to make a lot more on the Apple TV revenue share deal, and a revenue share deal with adidas.
So how does the former PSG star stack up with other major athletes in the NBA, NFL, and MLB? Messi can’t complain as he is almost on top of the mountain.
Lionel Messi’s MLS salary when compared to other sporting greats in US
If we take as a base that Messi will be earning $60 million only on salary, the Argentine makes more than LeBron James, who according to Forbes, earns on the court $44.5 million. Messi makes more than Stephen Curry who is at $48.4 million annually.
Denver Broncos star Russell Wilson is at $72 million, but in regard to NFL contracts Messi will earn more than Patrick Mahomes ($39.3M), Aaron Rodgers ($42M), and Orlando Brown Jr. ($48.5M).
In terms of the MLB, Messi earns more than Shohei Ohtani ($33M), Shohei Ohtani ($58.3M), Mike Trout ($35,5M), and Justin Verlander ($43.3M).
When it comes to other sports Messi is far behind boxer Canelo Alvarez who earns $100 million. Messi earns substantially more than the highest paid NHL player Connor McDavid who makes $12.5 million.