Many football fans have spent much of the last decade hypothesising about where Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi might end their careers.
Would they ever play together? Would Ronaldo go back to Manchester United and retire in England? Would Messi stay at Barcelona forever?
With Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia and Messi joining Inter Miami in the United States, both ply their trade outside of Europe in leagues viewed as less competitive with little to no hope of facing each other any time soon.
One thing they have always had in common, however, is massive salaries.
Here's how Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's paycheques compare at Al-Nassr and Inter Miami respectively.
How much will Lionel Messi earn at Inter Miami?
Messi's decision to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season was hardly a shocking one. The two-year experiment had its moments but did not yield what it was supposed to; a Champions League trophy.
The Argentine has admitted he wanted to return to Barça but the scars of his 2021 exit from Camp Nou and a lack of guarantees over his arrival meant he chose Inter Miami instead. There was also a lucrative offer to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
Messi was reportedly offered a salary of £344m to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, but instead, he has opted for a comparatively tiny £43m salary at Inter Miami instead. That will be his club salary, although the offer is though to include complex sponsorship deals with brands such as Apple and adidas that will see Messi earn much more than £43m a year from the move.
What does Cristiano Ronaldo earn at Al-Nassr?
It's no secret that Saudi Arabia is where all the really silly money is right now. For a short while it was Major League Soccer before China became a brief powerhouse, but right now Saudi Arabia is the place to be for stars like Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante to collect one last big payday.
Messi may have beaten Ronaldo to a World Cup honour, but the Portuguese forward certainly now has the bragging rights when it comes to his salary, if anybody really cares. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus forward is currently being paid £177m per season by Al-Nassr.
For context, he was getting £20m a year at Man Utd before making the winter move and earned £26m a year at Juventus before that.
The figures are frankly ridiculous and it's no wonder Benzema and Kante are joining him in the Saudi Pro League. Before anyone thinks Messi has won some sort of moral victory here by not heading to Saudi Arabia, keep in mind that he is an ambassador for the country and is handsomely compensated for it.
As to what the two men actually earn each year, the figures are unattainable given they have endless sponsorship deals and other sources of income. As for salaries, Ronaldo will be earning just over four times more than Messi when the two next take the field.
READ MORE ON LIONEL MESSI'S MOVE TO INTER MIAMI
This article was originally published on 90min as Lionel Messi's Inter Miami wage compared to Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
