Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Examining their Contracts as Messi Seizes Lucrative Opportunity with Inter Miami
Lionel Messi’s confirmed move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami in America has been the talk of the football world. However, the Argentine’s long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo is still earning more at Al-Nassr.
Messi turned down an offer of almost £300 million a year from Saudi Arabia, preferring to avoid joining Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the Saudi Pro League.
Messi’s two-and-a-half-year contract with Inter Miami is reportedly worth up to $150 million, or £119.34 million, which equates to £918,000 per week or £90.70 per minute.
The 34-year-old’s lucrative earnings will be boosted by commercial deals with Adidas, Apple, and MLS.
Adidas, one of the league’s largest corporate sponsors, has reportedly proposed a profit-sharing agreement. Meanwhile, MLS and Apple have considered offering Messi a share of the revenue generated by new subscribers to the MLS Season Pass, the league’s streaming package on Apple TV+.
MLS chiefs are also understood to be willing to offer Messi the option to purchase a percentage of any team in the league upon his retirement.
However, Messi’s earnings still pale in comparison to those of Ronaldo, who penned a £173 million per year deal with Al-Nassr back in January. The full deal is believed to run over seven years in total, with Ronaldo taking on an ambassadorial role once he hangs up his boots.
That means Ronaldo could pocket as much as £1.2 billion over the course of the contract, making him one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
The Portuguese superstar earns £5.50 per second, which equates to £315 per minute or £189,000 per hour.
While Messi’s move to MLS will undoubtedly make him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, he still falls short of the earning power of his long-time rival Ronaldo. However, with commercial deals from Adidas, Apple, and MLS, Messi’s earnings could still rise significantly during his time with Inter Miami. It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo’s deal with Al-Nassr will prove to be as lucrative as expected, but for now, the Portuguese superstar remains one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
