Lionel Messi turned down an unbelievably eye-watering sum of money from Saudi Arabia this summer in favour of pocketing a slightly less eye-watering amount in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami.
He will soon head over to the Magic City, which is already home to some of the most handsomely paid athletes in sports.
Here’s how Messi’s salary with Inter Miami compares to his new sporting neighbours.
The specifics of Messi’s agreement with Inter Miami are a little complex. The Argentine is expected to profit from deals with both Apple and adidas which would obviously inflate his pursue significantly.
In terms of a base salary, Messi will be paid £43m ($54m) per season – a significant drop from the €400m he could have pocketed had he taken up Al Hilal’s offer of moving to Saudi Arabia this summer instead.
NBA superstar Jimmy Butler signed a four-year, $184m contract extension with the Miami Heat in 2021, with his salary rising with each passing season.
Butler will take home just over $45m in 2023/24, Messi’s first year in Major League Soccer, before that figure jumps to just shy of $49m the following year.
The final year of Jimmy Buckets’ contract, a player option for the 2025/26 season, would be worth $52.4m – marginally below Messi’s annual salary – if he chooses to take it up.
On Messi’s salary, Butler’s Miami teammate Kyle Lowry admitted: “Man, he’s getting a lot of money. It’s going to be awesome.”
Tyreek Hill became the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL when he inked a four-year, $120m contract with the Miami Dolphins following his trade to the franchise in March 2022.
He’s due $26.1m in 2023, which is less than half of what Messi will take home in his first year in Miami.
The most valuable year of Hill’s current contract is the last, which is worth $43.9m.
As the MLB World Series MVP, Jorge Soler signed with the Miami Marlins in March 2022 on a three-year, $36m contract.
Soler picked up a base salary of $12m during his first underwhelming year in Miami and declined to opt out of his second season, which will see his salary jump up to $15m.
