Everything you need to know about Lionel Messi's salary at Inter Miami
Arguably one of the greatest players ever to grace the sport, Lionel Messi currently plays for MLS side Inter Miami CF.
Messi ended his European career in the summer of 2023, leaving PSG to move to Miami just a few months after winning the World Cup with his national team Argentina.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is enjoying his time in MLS, scoring and assisting for fun.
Understandably, the Barcelona icon is healthily rewarded for his efforts at Miami, but exactly how much does the iconic No.10 earn playing in the USA?
GOAL delved into the numbers with the MLS salary guide and found out!
*
Lionel Messi's wages at Inter Miami in numbers
Lionel Messi earns $393,205 (£302,772) under his current contract at Inter Miami.
His annual guaranteed compensation scales up to $20.4m million (£15.7m), which makes him the highest earner at the club, way ahead of everyone else.
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages in USD
Weekly wages in GBP
Annual wages in USD
Annual wages in GBP
Lionel Messi
Argentine
$393,205
£302,772
$20,446,667
£15,744,191
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTop earners at Inter Miami
Messi sits comfortably at the top of the wage bill at Inter Miami.
Following the Argentine is his former Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets in second position, while two more former Barcelona stars, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba, appear in third and fourth place, both earning similar wages.
Finally, rounding off the list at number five is USA international Julian Gressel.
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages in USD
Weekly wages in GBP
Annual wages in USD
Annual wages in GBP
Lionel Messi
Argentine
$393,205
£302,772
$20,446,667
£15,744,191
Sergio Busquets
Spanish
$168,749
£129,938
$8,774,996
£6,756,857
Luis Suarez
Uruguayan
$28,846
£22,211
$1,500,000
£1,155,018
Jordi Alba
Spanish
$28,846
£22,211
$1,500,000
£1,155,018
Julian Gressel
USA
$21,001
£16,171
$1,092,069
£840,906
Top 5 earners in MLS
It shouldn't come as a surprise that, apart from Inter Miami, Messi is also the highest-paid player across the league.
In second position is former Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne, followed by Sergio Busquets.
Meanwhile, Federico Bernardeschi and Emil Forsberg round off the list in fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
Player
Club
Weekly wages in USD
Weekly wages in GBP
Annual wages in USD
Annual wages in GBP
Lionel Messi
Inter Miami
$393,205
£302,772
$20,446,667
£15,744,191
Lorenzo Insigne
Toronto FC
$296,153
£228,042
$15,400,000
£11,858,194
Sergio Busquets
Inter Miami
$168,749
£129,938
$8,774,996
£6,756,857
Federico Bernardeschi
Toronto FC
$121,065
£93,221
$6,295,381
£4,847,522
Emil Forsberg
New York Red Bulls
$116,070
£89,540
$6,035,625
£4,660,000
Getty Images SportHighest paid players in the world
It is fair to say that whenever Lionel Messi is mentioned, his Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo is bound to follow, and vice versa. When comparing the salaries of MLS stars to the top earners worldwide, they appear relatively modest.
At the top of the list is the ageless Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr. In second place is Al Ittihad's Karim Benzema, while Riyad Mahrez of Al Ahli takes the third spot. The financial gap between the two leagues is evident in player salaries and overall spending.
Player
Club
Weekly wages USD
Weekly wages GBP
Annual wages USD
Annual wages GBP
Cristiano Ronaldo
Al Nassr
$4,166,513
£3,224,935
$215,658,680
£167,696,622
Karim Benzema
Al Ittihad
$2,083,257
£1,612,468
$108,329,340
£83,848,311
Riyad Mahrez
Al Ahli
$1,087,460
£841,708
$56,547,915
£43,768,818
Sadio Mane
Al Nassr
$833,033
£644,987
$43,331,736
£33,539,324
Kalidou Koulibaly
Al Hilal
$722,890
£559,526
$37,590,281
£29,095,364