The stunning amount of money that football legend Lionel Messi has earned while playing for MLS giants Inter Miami has been revealed.
After winning a record-setting eight Ballon d'Or awards as well as 46 career trophies for both club and country, it's no surprise that securing Messi's services does not come cheap.
Messi's talents and achievements have ensure that, throughout his career, he has remained one of the highest paid athletes across all sports alongside the likes of football rival Cristiano Ronaldo and NBA legend Steph Curry.
But this was not always the case, with reports suggesting that the World Cup winner earned as little as €600 (£521) per month in his first contract with boyhood club Barcelona.
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However, two years after making a shock move to join David Beckham's Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, details of the exact amount of money that Messi now earned with the American side have been revealed.
After 21 years with Barcelona, Messi signed a two-year contract with French side Paris Saint-Germain back in 2021, where he went on to back to back Ligue 1 titles.
But, just a few months after winning the 2022 World Cup with his national team Argentina, Messi decided not to extend his stay in the French capital, penning a deal with Inter Miami that would see him stay with the MLS side until the end of 2025.
As part of his contract with Inter Miami, the 38-year-old reportedly earns a base weekly salary of around £302,772, not including bonuses and sponsorships.
This means that, since his arrival on July 13, 2023, Messi has been paid a breathtaking total of £34.3m for around 113 weeks under contract with Inter Miami.
Unsurprisingly, this makes the Argentine the highest earner at the club, and across the entire MLS, by some distance, with former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets the second highest-earner at Inter Miami with a weekly salary of £129,938.
Meanwhile the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona legend Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba earn just £22,211 a week.
Of course, Messi's total earnings across his time at likely to be significantly more than this once various bonuses included in his contract and deals off the pitch are considered, with some reports claiming that he could join Beckham as a co-owner of Inter Miami after he retires
How much longer will Messi stay at Inter Miami?
With Messi's current contract with Inter Miami set to expire at the end of the year, speculation regarding his future at the club has been rife.
Recent reports have suggested that the forward is strongly considering retiring ahead of the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
However, it now appears that he could be keeping his options open, with a report from USA Today revealing that a deal to extend Messi's stay at Inter Miami is about 85% done.
It is claimed that this new deal would see him remain at the club up to and after next year's World Cup, suggesting he could be involved in the tournament after all.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami, MLS, Football
Ben McCrum