Lionel Messi's Massive MLS Salary Revealed by Inter Miami Owner, 'Worth Every Penny'

Even though plenty of details about Lionel Messi's Inter Miami contract are known, the specifics of his yearly salary have finally been confirmed by the club's owner.

Jorge Mas said in an interview (h/t Daniel Cancel of Bloomberg) this week that Messi is "worth every penny" of the $70-80 million annual salary he is paid from the MLS team.

"The reason that I need to have sponsors and for them to be world class is because players are expensive," Mas said. "I pay Messi—worth every penny—but it's $70 to $80 million a year. Across everything."

Messi signed a new contract with Miami in October that runs through the 2028 MLS season. The agreement came as he was leading the Herons in the playoffs and to their first MLS Cup championship.

Inter Miami originally signed Messi in 2023 after he spent the previous two years with Paris Saint-Germain. The deal, covering 2.5 years, was worth up to $150 million with between $50-60 million per year coming from Miami via a combination of his salary, bonuses and equity in the club.

The contract also allowed Messi to earn additional compensation through his own endorsement deals Adidas, Fanatics and Apple.

Per the MLS player salary guide, Messi's base salary is $12 million and his guaranteed compensation is $20.4 million.

The website notes all listed figures only account for the players' MLS contract, but doesn't include "any compensation from any contracts with individual teams or their affiliates."

At the time Messi signed his new deal, ESPN's Lizzy Becherano noted that Inter Miami's franchise valuation had more than doubled from the time he originally joined the club.

Per Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen, Miami has the highest valuation among all MLS clubs at $1.45 billion.

Messi has scored 52 goals in 55 games with Inter Miami. The club has made the playoffs in each of the past two years, highlighted by a 3-1 win over Vancouver in the MLS Cup Final last December.