Inter Miami CF’s pursuit of soccer legend Lionel Messi was a chase the MLS team’s owner claims is something that has been in the works for four years.
While Lionel Messi has not played a second yet as a member of Inter Miami, he is without a doubt one of the biggest stories currently in MLS. The idea of the former star of Paris Saint-Germain joining the league became possible last year when there were whispers that his tenure with PSG could come to an end in 2023.
Related: Inter Miami close to adding 2 former Lionel Messi teammates from FC Barcelona
However, an iconic figure that just led his team to the 2022 World Cup title with a legendary performance actually leaving Europe behind to join the United States’ top soccer league always seemed far-fetched. Especially when reports came that Saudi Arabia’s Professional League was willing to pay Lionel Messi nearly half a billion a year to join their circuit.
Yet, in June Inter Miami stunned the sport when the Argentinian legend confirmed that he was indeed taking his talents to MLS in 2023 and beyond. When the news was first revealed, certain details of his unique agreement came to light. Including the fact that he will get a small ownership stake in the club, a percentage of new AppleTV+ MLS subscriptions, and a special deal with Addidas.
Inter Miami to pay Lionel Messi $60 million in 2023
However, Miami’s boss Jorge Mas revealed some more interesting nuggets of information on how the landmark deal came about in a conversation over the weekend with the Spanish newspaper El Pais. One of the most fascinating additions to the story is that Mas claims he and the team started working toward a pursuit of Lionel Messi back in 2019.
“I spent three years on it, a year-and-a-half very intensely,” Mas claimed. “There were many conversations with [Messi’s father and agent] Jorge. [Inter Miami co-owner] David [Beckham] talked to Leo, only about football issues, because he was a player.”
While there was still a great deal of speculation about where Messi could head after his PSG run ended, including a return to the club where he became a legend, FC Barcelona, Mas claims he felt confident the deal was done back in May. He also added that the unique partnership with AppleTV+ — a key MLS broadcast partner — ended up being “very important” in closing the deal.
The Inter Miami boss confirmed that Lionel Messi will earn $60 million annually — a notable raise on his recent Paris Saint-Germain pay and that the goal is to add players the soccer superstar is familiar with.
The club signed former Barcelona star Sergio Busquets last week, and Mas claimed the club would make “two or three” more signings to make Messi feel at home when he makes his MLS debut this month.