Moneyball. How much does Lionel Messi earn?

Lionel Messi has long been considered alongside legendary figures such as Pelé, Maradona, Cruyff, and others as one of the greatest footballers in history. While debates and comparisons about legends may be endless, considering both team titles and individual accomplishments, Messi could be deemed the best in history.

By the age of 36, the Argentine had clinched almost every possible title he could dream of at the beginning of his career. His prime years were dedicated to Barcelona, where he secured ten La Liga victories and triumphed three times in the UEFA Champions League. In 2022, Messi led his national team to victory in the World Cup for the first time since Maradona, and this year he won his eighth Ballon d'Or.

In the summer of 2023, after two seasons with PSG, Lionel Messi moved to North America and joined Inter Miami, signing a 2.5-year contract. In this piece, we'll attempt to uncover how much Messi is currently earning.

The football community learned the official salary figures of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in MLS, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times. According to the contract, Messi will receive a base salary of $12 million with a guaranteed total compensation of $20.4 million.

It is anticipated that Messi's income will reach $50–60 million (€47.4–56.9 million) annually, including deals with Adidas and Fanatics, a share of sales from subscriptions to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, as well as ownership stakes in the team.

Previously, Lorenzo Insigne from Toronto was considered the highest-paid player in MLS, with a base salary of $7.5 million and guaranteed compensation of $15.4 million per year.

It's worth noting that Messi's former Barcelona teammates at Inter Miami - Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets - signed contracts for much more modest sums. However, the club still became the league leader in overall payroll, reaching $39.4 million.

In addition to salary and bonuses, a significant portion of Messi's income comes from numerous endorsement deals. The English magazine Sports Pro annually names products featuring Messi in their advertisements as some of the best-selling globally. Since 2006, Messi has been the face of the German company Adidas, gradually becoming one of its main ambassadors. From 2008, Messi played in Adidas F50 boots with personalized designs, and since 2015, he has been playing in boots from his own line, Adidas Messi. In 2015, Barcelona shirts with Messi's name and number became the best-selling among all footballers worldwide.

Apart from Adidas, Messi collaborates with many other companies, including Pepsi, Dolce&Gabbana, Gillette, Turkish Airlines, Lay’s, Budweiser, and more. Messi has also been featured on the covers of video game series from Konami - Pro Evolution Soccer (2009, 2010, 2011, 2020) and FIFA from EA Sports (2013-2016). Messi is also listed among Time magazine's 100 most influential people globally.

Messi is highly popular on social media, with around 500 million followers on his Instagram account. It is noted that Messi earns $4.9 million for each sponsored post on Instagram. By a simple calculation, Messi earned over $200 million from Instagram advertising in 2023. Additionally, Messi owns the Mim Hotels chain and the Messi Store clothing shop.

According to Forbes, Messi holds the second position in the ranking of the highest-paid footballers. It is noted that his income will reach around $135 million in 2024. This does not include earnings from social media advertising, which brings substantial amounts to the Argentine star. Interestingly, upon the completion of his contract with Inter Miami, Messi will have the opportunity to purchase any team in MLS.

Messi's salary:

• Per year: $135 million
• Per month: $11.25 million
• Per week: $2.81 million
• Per day: $370,000
• Per hour: $16,000
• Per minute: $266
• Per second: $4.43