Details of Messi’s highest salary in all sports in the US
Lionel Messi will earn approximately $140 million for his 2.5-year contract with Inter Miami, meaning $55 million per year. This makes him the highest-earning athlete in the top 5 major sports leagues in the United States.
This figure surpasses the earnings of other athletes such as $54.4 million for Nikola Jokic (NBA basketball), $52 million for Lamar Jackson (NFL football), $43.3 million for Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander (MLB baseball), and $12.6 million for Nathan MacKinnon (NHL ice hockey), who lead in their respective major sports leagues in the United States.
Messi’s salary significantly exceeds the highest-earning player of Inter Miami at present, Josef Martinez, who earns a basic salary of $4,000,000 for the year 2023.
Messi’s salary does not have certain deductions, such as state taxes (Florida being one of the few states without them) or agent fees (his father serves as his agent).
Specifics:
– Annual Salary: $55 million
– Federal Tax (37%): $20.35 million
– Florida State Tax (0%): $0
– Agent Fees: $0
– Jock Tax (applicable when playing in other states, estimated at 3%): $1.64 million
– FICA Tax (healthcare and social security, estimated at 1%): $1.29 million
Total annual income for Messi: $31.7 million
This is only his salary, not including other personal deals that allow Messi to earn at least $50 million per year from Adidas, Lay’s, Pepsi, Huawei, Konami, Ooredoo, Gatorade, Budweiser, Jacob & Co, MasterCard, and Hard Rock Cafe. Specifically with Adidas, La Pulga earns $25 million per year from a lifelong contract with the brand.
Messi also opened his clothing store in 2019 with an annual revenue of $5 million. Additionally, a deal with the Saudi Arabian tourism agency brings him $25 million per year. Furthermore, he earns $20 million per year from an agreement with Socios, a cryptocurrency company. On top of this, there are also his real estate ventures, such as hotels in Sitges, Ibiza, and Mallorca, as well as a ski resort in Andorra.
Messi has numerous other sources of income, including sponsorships, endorsements, and real estate.
In terms of overall earnings, Messi ranks 7th among the highest-earning athletes in history, with at least $1.5 billion USD, following LeBron ($1.55 billion), Cristiano Ronaldo ($1.58 billion), Jack Nicklaus ($1.63 billion), Arnold Palmer ($1.7 billion), Tiger Woods ($2.5 billion), and Michael Jordan ($3.3 billion, not including his soon-to-be-sold majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets), according to Sportico website.
