Lionel Messi, the most decorated soccer player in history, is on his way to MLS. The seven-time world player of the year will join Inter Miami this summer, he said in an exclusive interview with Diario Sport. Messi said the deal had not yet been finalized, but he was committed to making the move.
MLS released a statement that read: “We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer this summer. Although work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our League.”
Messi, who will turn 36 later this month, led Argentina to its first World Cup title in 36 years last fall, scoring seven times in seven games, including twice in the final, where Argentina beat France on penalty kicks. Messi was named the tournament’s outstanding player.
Financial terms of the contract were not immediately available, but Messi reportedly made $41 million in base salary from a two-year deal with French giant Paris Saint-Germain, which he signed in 2021. Last winter it was reported that Messi and PSG had reached a verbal agreement to extend the deal, but those negotiations fell apart last month.
Messi was reportedly offered more lucrative deals by Saudi Arabia and Barcelona, where he spent the first 18 years of his professional career. According to multiple reports, the Saudi offer was for more than $1 billion over two seasons. But he chose Inter Miami, the MLS team owned by former Galaxy standout David Beckham, who became the first major European star to play in the league when he came to Los Angeles in 2007.
To get that deal done, the league offered Beckham the chance to buy an MLS expansion franchise for $25 million. However, expansion fees have ballooned since then, with prospective owners in San Diego agreeing to a reported $500 million to join the league last month. So MLS looked to its partners to fund the Messi deal, according to league sources with knowledge of the negotiations.
Apple TV, in the first season of a 10-year deal to carry league games on its streaming service, will help underwrite the contract as will Adidas, the league’s kit sponsor, the source said. Both could benefit mightily from the signing with Apple, which announced Tuesdayit will be airing a four-part documentary series on Messi, expecting a surge in international subscriptions to its MLS Season Pass package while Adidas will profit from sales of Messi’s Inter Miami jersey.
Messi has had a personal sponsorship deal with Adidas since 2006.
Although MLS has a strict salary cap of $5.21 million per team, Messi will sign as a designated player, a provision that allows teams to pay up to three players’ salaries that count only partially against the cap. The rule was established 16 years ago to fund Beckham’s contract.
Messi scored 32 times in all competition for PSG in the last two seasons, winning two Ligue 1 championships. Before that, he scored 672 times in 778 games with Barcelona, winning 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns while leading Europe’s top leagues in scoring six times.
He also scored a national-record 102 goals for Argentina and his 806 goals for club and country ranks second, behind only Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, on the all-time list.
