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.”