LONDON — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami are finalizing a megadeal worth up to $150 million to bring the superstar to Major League Soccer (MLS), Sportico reported.
That figure consists of salary, signing bonus and equity in the club and runs through the 2025 season with an option for 2026, per Sportico.
Revenue-sharing agreements with Adidas, Apple and Fanatics, all of which are MLS partners, are not included in the initial figure, Reuters reported.
Messi already has a lifetime deal with Adidas, per Forbes.
MLS is not subsidizing the contract, and Messi will not have the same option to buy an MLS team that David Beckham received when he moved to MLS in 2007, Sportico reported. That option turned into Inter Miami, of which Beckham is a co-owner.
Messi, who turns 36 on Saturday, was the star of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup championship team.
He officially becomes a free agent at the end of this month when his contract at France’s Paris Saint-Germain expires.
He said on June 7 that he had selected Inter Miami over other overseas offers, including a reported $400 million a year to play at Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.
He is expected to debut with Inter Miami on July 21 against Liga MX team Cruz Azul in a home Leagues Cup match.
Messi’s new deal will add to his already vast wealth. He ranked second on Forbes’ 2023 list of highest-paid athletes with $130 million in annual earnings — half on the pitch and half in endorsements.
Meanwhile, Argentina struggled to create chances without Messi in the team as it labored to a 2-0 win over Indonesia in a friendly, with both goals coming from defensive-minded players.
Holding midfielder Leandro Paredes scored a long-range opener in the first half just as the team was growing frustrated at its inability to break down a team ranked 149th in the world. Tottenham defender Cristian Romero added the second soon after the break.
Messi, who scored in a 2-1 win over Australia in Beijing on Thursday, was allowed to return home early by coach Lionel Scaloni in order to rest. The 35-year-old Messi is expected to make his debut for Inter Miami in July after leaving Paris Saint-Germain for the MLS club earlier this month.
With Messi having told Chinese media that he may not continue playing for the national team long enough to take part in the 2026 World Cup, Argentina may soon have to get used to the idea of being without the superstar, who led the country to a third World Cup triumph in Qatar last December.
“In principle Messi is still in the national team and it is not worth talking about that topic anymore,” Scaloni said. “We would like him to play forever but at some point he will leave and it will be a very sad day for everyone.”
Argentina still dominated possession in its first ever game against Indonesia but struggled to break down the host, which was roared on by more than 60,000 fans – including the country’s president, Joko Widodo.
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