Lionel Messi transfer to Inter Miami: salary and deal details…
Messi’s transfer to Inter Miami was the biggest bombshell of the transfer period. The Argentine, whose contract with PSG expired, signed with the MLS team and will play here next season. Jorge Mas, owner of Inter Miami, explained the background to the transfer in an interview with the newspaper ‘El País’.
According to Jorge Mas, the idea of bringing Messi to Inter Miami comes from a long time ago. “We started to think about how we could bring him in in 2019,” says Mas, and is confident that Messi’s transfer will have an impact in the league:
“Messi can make MLS one of the two or three biggest leagues in the world. I think he is here to make a lasting mark, and he will be able to do that beyond football. He will have a role at the club when he retires.”
Mas compares Messi’s post-soccer life to stars like David Beckham and Michael Jordan.
Inter Miami owner and manager Jorge Mas was seen in his office in Coral Gables last Tuesday wearing a prototype Lionel Messi jersey. Photo: The Country.
THE OFFER THAT IMPACTS TO MESSI
The club owner also revealed that Messi’s annual contract will be “between $50 and $60 million”, explaining how long it took to “convince” Messi. The Argentine soccer player, who will have a part of the club’s shares when he retires, will also keep part of the profits from the sale of the Apple TV broadcast rights and the Adidas shirt:
“From our point of view it is the salary package and participation when he retires. What I do know is that the talks with Apple are going very well and the interests overlap. If soccer develops in the United States, it will benefit.”
“I WAS CONVINCED IN MAY”
“I was after him for three years. Very intensely for a year and a half. I had many conversations with Jorge. I convinced him at the end of May. David Beckham only talked to Messi about football because he was playing. So that Messi does not feel pressured. We spoke in Barcelona, Miami, Rosario, Doha… I spent the entire World Cup in Qatar, I saw Argentina. The contract with Apple TV was crucial to finish the deal”.
“IT WILL BE VERY CLOSE TO HOME”
“We do not pay local or state taxes. There is a very important family element. Messi will be in his own hemisphere almost at the same time as in Rosario. It was more important to sell him the idea of soccer in the United States. This is the largest commercial market on the planet. Messi can make MLS one of the two or three biggest leagues in the world.”
“I SPOKE WITH DI MARIA BUT…”
About Luis Suárez, Mas said: “Under his contract, he has a termination clause and I don’t know if that will come out. “We have also spoken with Di Maria, but it seems that he is about to sign another team,” he said.