By: Jinhuk Lee
In the summer of 2023, Lionel Messi’s contract with Paris Saint Germain (PSG) expired.[1] This came several months after his World Cup triumph, which solidified his status as the greatest of all time in the beautiful game of soccer.. Messi received many offers from around the world. Most notably a $1.5 billion deal to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.[2] Messi turned down the offer and decided to leave Europe to make home in sunny Miami at Inter Miami C.F (Miami).[3] Miami, founded in 2018, officially joined Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2020.[4] With David Beckham as co-owner, the club began its journey with a strong and established presence.[5] Messi reportedly signed a deal worth $50-60 million or even up to $150 million depending on the valuation with Miami.[6]
The deal to sign Messi involved multiple parties including MLS, Apple, and Adidas. The MLS, operating as a single entity, holds all the contracts to the players and assigns a player to the team holding their acquisition rights.[7] MLS imposes a total salary cap for teams in the league with the maximum salary cap for one individual player.[8] In 2025, each team had salary budgets of $5.95 million with a maximum salary budget charge of $743,750 for a single player.[9] Messi’s base salary is $12 million with a guaranteed compensation of over $20 million.[10] So how did Miami get around the salary cap? MLS allows clubs to have up to three “Designated Players” (DP).[11] DPs are not subject to the salary cap.[12] With this deal, Messi became the highest paid player in the MLS.[13] However, Messi’s deal had a lot more in store for him.
Apple signed a ten year broadcast deal for $2.5 billion with MLS starting in 2023.[14] Under the deal, Apple will broadcast all live MLS and Leagues Cup games.[15] Viewers can pay a subscription fee and watch the games on Apple TV.[16] Utilizing this deal, Apple agreed to share an unknown percentage of their revenue from the subscription with Messi.[17] This percentage is unknown, but it is an unprecedented deal.
As a major sports apparel supplier, Adidas also played a significant role in the deal. Adidas is the main kit supplier for the MLS.[18] They have started their partnership since 1996 when the MLS started.[19] Adidas also has a deep relationship with Messi starting in 2006.[20] In 2017, Adidas signed a lifetime footwear deal with Messi.[21] Similar to Apple, they agreed to share a percentage of their revenue deriving from Messi’s involvement in the MLS.[22] The exact percentage is unknown, but these deals signify how much effort had gone into bringing Messi stateside.
Many of these provisions were unprecedented, but another provision of the deal was groundbreaking to say the least. Miami offered a percentage of their team equity after Messi is done playing for Miami.[23] The percentage of the equity stake varies and is not fully verified. According to news sources, Messi is expected to exercise the option after his time at Miami.[24] The exact value of the equity stake is unknown.
Messi’s deal with Inter Miami is a watershed moment in professional sports. The inception of broadcast deals led to the explosion of income of professional athletes. This deal reaches new horizons in terms of what is possible and what attracts a player. These kinds of deals will not be common in the near future, but it shows what teams and other related parties can and are willing to do. Messi is a once in a generation player who left a ginormous footprint in soccer and in the sporting world itself. Through his deal with Miami, he showed other star athletes what they may demand from their team.
[1] Lionel Messi to leave PSG at end of season with French side not planning to offer new contract, Sky Sports (May 4, 2023), https://www.skysports.com/ [https://perma.cc/6ZUF-37VL].
[2] Tom Sanderson, Al-Hilal Raise Messi Offer Past $1.5 Billion To Block Inter Miami Move: Reports, Forbes (June 7, 2023), https://www.forbes.com/ [https://perma.cc/7JHS-FVS8].
[3] Lionel Messi makes it official and signs with Inter Miami, NPR (July 16, 2023), https://www.npr.org/ [https://perma.cc/QY8U-LRGT].
[4] About The Club, Inter Miami CF, https://www.intermiamicf.com/ [https://perma.cc/XL3G-7WLJ].
[5] Id.
[6] Tom Sanderson, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami Salary Details Revealed By MLS Franchise Owner, Forbes(July 2, 2023), https://www.forbes.com/ [https://perma.cc/B67R-QGBU].
[7] Major League Soccer’s Single-Entity Structure, Lex Sportiva (Oct. 9, 2019), https://lexsportiva.blog/ [https://perma.cc/MP6E-Z6Y7].
[8] About MLS: Roster Rules & Regulation, MLS (Feb. 5, 2025), https://www.mlssoccer.com/ [https://perma.cc/4GGS-AQKW].
[9] Id.
[10] 2025 Spring Salary Release, MLS PA (May 23, 2025).
[11] About MLS: Roster Rules & Regulation, supra note 8.
[12] Id.
[13] Ferry Tri Adi Sasono, Lionel Messi Becomes The Highest Paid Player At MLS For Two Years In A Row, VOI (June 28, 2025), https://voi.id/ [https://perma.cc/2FPH-74T4].
[14] Sam Stejskal, MLS Agree to 10-year broadcast deal with Apple worth $2.5 billion: Sources, The Athletic (June 14, 2022), https://www.nytimes.com/ [https://perma.cc/8NEM-XL2K].
[15] Id.
[16] Id.
[17] Shwetha Surendran, What Messi’s MLS, Apple, Adidas deal means for everyone else, ESPN (July 11, 2023), https://www.espn.com/ [https://perma.cc/7WLT-5A3S].
[18] Adidas’ Commitment to Innovation to Foster Deeper Connection with Players and Fans ahead of 2026 World Cup, MLS Communications (Feb. 22, 2023), https://www.mlssoccer.com/ [https://perma.cc/2L7W-5L2D].
[19] Id.
[20] Sam Carp, Messi to Miami: How MLS, Apple and Adidas rallied to bring a soccer icon to America, SportsPro (June 8, 2023), https://www.sportspro.com/ [https://perma.cc/7FEA-BCJ7].
[21] Id.
[22] Surendran, supra note 17.
[23] Allyson Swartzburg, Employee-Asset Owner: How Messi’s Inter Miami Deal is Changing the Game for the American Soccer Industry, U. Chi. Bus. L. Rev. Online., https://businesslawreview.uchicago.edu/online-archive/ [https://perma.cc/FET3-6XPQ].
[24] Kurt Badenhausen, Messi Career Earnings to Reach $1.6B With Miami MLS Deal, Sportico (July 15, 2023), https://www.sportico.com/ [https://perma.cc/3FNG-8BEL].
