More than two years after Lionel Messi arrived at Inter Miami, the financial structure of his deal with MLS continues to spark curiosity, as only a fraction of the total comes directly from the league’s salary structure.
Jorge Mas, managing owner of the club, confirmed that Messi’s total annual earnings range between $70 million and $80 million. Yet the official payroll tells only part of the story behind how that number is actually built.
Behind the headlines lies a contract designed very differently from a traditional salary deal. Partnerships, revenue sharing and MLS-backed incentives all play a role in shaping the real value of his agreement in Miami.
Messi’s earnings: How much comes from MLS salary?
Oonly a relatively small portion of Lionel Messi’s reported $70 million–$80 million annual earnings comes directly from his MLS contract. According to the MLS Players Association salary guide, his base salary with Inter Miami CF is about $12 million per year.
But that figure is significantly lower than the $70–80 million often cited by club co‑owner Jorge Mas. He told Bloomberg that Messi’s total compensation — “across everything” — reaches that range, thanks to elements beyond his MLS salary.
The gap between the Argentine superstar’s official MLS salary and his total earnings reflects several additional revenue streams and contractual features:
- Equity in Inter Miami: He has a clause granting him a percentage ownership stake in the club that will activate once he retires. As Inter Miami’s valuation has climbed from roughly $585 million before his arrival to about $1.35 billion, that equity component itself accounts for a large share of the $70m–$80m estimate.
- Revenue sharing and partnerships: Some of his income comes from revenue‑sharing agreements tied to the league’s broadcast deal with Apple and global sponsorships (including with brands like Adidas), which are structured to benefit the superstar beyond his playing contract.
Put another way: Messi’s MLS salary is roughly $20.4 million per year, but the total compensation figure Mas quoted includes equity value and commercial revenue streams that go well beyond that core salary number.
In a league with a relatively modest salary structure overall, that distinction helps explain why his deal is so distinct, both in headline value and in how it was engineered to reflect his global appeal and business impact.
