Inter Miami owner says Messi paid up to $80M a year: 'Worth every penny'

Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas revealed this week that Lionel Messi earns between $70 million and $80 million a year from the MLS franchise through his regular salary and ownership stake in the team.

Mas credited lucrative sponsorship deals as crucial to bankrolling Inter Miami's sizeable wage bill, saying they account for 55% of total club revenue. By comparison, media rights, usually a major income stream for large sports franchises, contribute just 2% to Inter Miami's revenue.

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

The MLS Players Association's salary guide released last fall noted that Messi earned an annual base salary of $12 million and guaranteed compensation of almost $20.5 million as of Oct. 1, 2025.

However, the 38-year-old signed a contract later that month that extended his stay with Inter Miami until the end of the 2028-29 MLS season. The new terms included an ownership stake in the club, but the percentage handed to the Argentine attacker remains undisclosed.

In addition to funding Messi's wages, Inter Miami also paid Spanish duo Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba handsomely before the pair retired following the club's win in the 2025 MLS Cup final in December. Veteran Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, Messi's Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul, and Mexican international German Berterame are part of Inter Miami's 2026 roster.

Messi is expected to be a partial club owner at Inter Miami once he stops playing. The current owners are Mas, his brother Jose Mas, and English soccer icon David Beckham.