Inter Miami boss Jorge Mas revealed how the conversation with Lionel Messi and his father began, then mentioned the salary La Pulga receives.
In July 2023, Lionel Messi arrived at Inter Miami, creating a revolution in Major League Soccer (MLS) and all of American football. The presence of the world’s best player has brought North American football to a position it had never reached before. Major shareholder of the Florida state club, Jorge Mas, has just revealed previously unknown things about the negotiation process for the 36-year-old Argentine star to join Las Garzas.
It all started five years ago when people started talking about the future of Messi, who remains a leading figure at Barcelona, where he has won everything. That was a year after Inter Miami was founded and a year before the team debuted in MLS. Mas was persuaded to join the business by another equity owner, former footballer David Beckham.
Jorge Mas succeeded in convincing Messi to come to America
But the South Florida construction businessman has high standards and wants his team to have the best players on the planet. It was in September 2019 when he started talking to Leo’s father and agent, Jorge Messi. Meetings took place in Rosario, Doha, Barcelona and Paris.
In the second half of last year, negotiations mainly revolved around the future of Messi, who decided to leave PSG. After not accepting the huge offer that Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal made for a salary of $400 million a year, Mas seduced Messi and his persistence paid off.
In Forbes magazine, Mas stated that “Messi will earn between $50 and $60 million annually, with the potential to earn more through personal income-sharing agreements with Apple and Adidas.” Furthermore, it is worth remembering that in the contract, Messi has the option to become a shareholder of Inter Miami.
Both Messi’s base wage and his personal income sharing with Apple and Adidas contribute to the enormous amount of money that Messi earns at Inter Miami.
According to the story that was published in the aforementioned source, Inter Miami’s revenue increased to $118 million in 2023 as a direct result of Messi’s presence at the club. As a result of ticket sales, advertising, and the team’s unprecedented globe tour of Central America and Asia, the club anticipates that this figure will be greater than $200 million this year.
According to Forbes, Inter Miami is currently the second most valuable club in Major League Soccer (MLS), with a value that is greater than one billion dollars. The asset value of Mas, which has an 80 percent share in the company, has climbed to 1.7 billion US dollars.
Messi is now under contract with Inter Miami for the years 2024 and 2025, and he also has an option to extend his contract until 2026. On the other hand, Mas is certain that Leo will make use of that opportunity in the year when the World Cup will be held in the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada.
