Wages in football have been skyrocketing in recent years and some of the biggest names in the sport have been realising that they can end their career away from the European spotlight and earn much more money in the process.
MLS became one of those destinations just over a decade ago as the investment in the league started to boom, but then China did the same and many players chose to spend a year or two in Asia to bolster their finances before heading back to Europe.
MLS has always remained a destination for handsome pay and a decent level of football, but the increased involvement of the Gulf States in the sport has meant that the Middle East is now where you really go if you want the silly money.
Despite having the option to do that, Lionel Messi has chosen to sign for Inter Miami in MLS, teaming up with David Beckham but, sadly, not Phil Neville.
READ MORE ON LIONEL MESSI'S MOVE TO INTER MIAMI
What are Inter Miami paying Lionel Messi?
“If it had been a matter of money, I’d have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere," said Messi as he confirmed his decision to move to MLS. "It seemed like a lot of money to me. The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money."
An offer worth in excess of €400m per season was waiting for Messi in Saudi Arabia, where Al Hilal were ready to hand out that unfathomable amount of money, but the allure of Miami proved too strong to turn down.
In terms of his base salary at Inter Miami, Messi is going to be getting significantly less than that. While there is some mystery over the exact terms of his contract, the general belief seems to be that he will get £43m per season at Inter Miami. That is very low in comparison to Saudi Arabia, but there are going to be a number of perks.
He may be handed a purchase option of an MLS club for when he retires, which is what Beckham received at LA Galaxy. Brands such as Apple and adidas are reported to have been a part of the project to acquire Messi. A $2.5bn deal was signed by Apple and MLS earlier this year and it is thought Messi is going to be a part of that.
Furthermore, adidas are said to have been looking into a profit-sharing agreement with Messi. The specifics are not known and may never be known fully, but what is clear is that Messi will be pocketing a lot more than £43m per season from this move.
Why did Lionel Messi join Inter Miami rather than Barcelona or Al Hilal?
There are various reasons as to why this came to fruition rather than a return to Barcelona. There was certainly a desire from the Blaugrana and the player himself to organise a return, but it just seemed too precarious an economic situation.
While Barcelona's business plan has been given the green light by La Liga, there would have been a lot of juggling to do and Messi confirmed to Sport and Mundo Deportivo that he was not prepared to wait around and risk being heartbroken again - as was the case when he first left.
"I did not want to be in the same situation again – wait to see what would happen and leave my future in someone else’s hands, so to speak," he explained.
"I heard that they had to sell players or lower player salaries and the truth is that I didn’t want to go through that, or take charge of obtaining something that had to do with all that."
Barcelona certainly seem aggrieved by the situation, with part of their statement reading: "President Joan Laporta understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years.”
As for not choosing the riches of Saudi Arabia, it is worth noting that Messi still has plenty of ties with the country. He is an ambassador for Saudi Arabia and already enjoys the financial benefits that come with that. It may well have been a surprise for the Saudi government that Messi snubbed their league, though.
It is likely that Inter Miami provides the best middle ground between earning lots of money at a stable club, while still being in a fairly competitive environment where he can remain in contention to play at the Copa America with Argentina.
This article was originally published on 90min as How much money will Lionel Messi earn at Inter Miami?.
