Last year, soccer superstar Lionel Messi left Paris Saint-Germain, inking a massive deal with Major League Soccer's Inter Miami. To date, Messi has appeared in 31 games for Inter Miami, totaling 27 goals and 17 assists. He's also generated new interest in the club and has turned their games into appointment viewing.
When Messi signed that deal last year, we had some of the details. However, new information has recently been released—and it looks even better for Messi than we previously thought.
At the time, Messi's contract was reportedly $120 to $150 million over three years. It's actually about $60 million per season, per sources familiar with the deal. He's also making a minimum of $70 million per year from sponsorships and endorsement deals. A collective $130 million annually is nothing to sneeze at.
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But what about after Messi retires? He's 37 years old, and while he's still playing at a high level, eventually, time catches up to all of us. When Messi decides to finally hang up his cleats, Inter Miami is making sure he's in good hands.
The contract includes terms that Messi will receive about a 10% ownership stake in Inter Miami upon retiring. Based on the team's current estimated value, Messi's stake would be worth around $200 million.
Messi would join fellow soccer star David Beckham in ownership of the team. Beckham, Jose Mas, and managing owner Jorge Mas have been the only three owners of Inter Miami since September 2021.
There's also an LA-based company called Ares Management that made a $150 million preferred equity investment in 2021 and another $75 million investment in 2023. Ares doesn't have any say in the day-to-day operations of the team, only offering strategic advice. Their investment helped the club build its new Miami Freedom Park, which will open in 2026.
Will Messi still be playing and scoring goals in the new stadium? At the rate he's going, he very well could be. If he does decide to retire, he'll be taking in matches from his comfortable owner's box.
