Lionel Messi signs a two-and-a-half-year contract with Inter Miami, with an option for another year, the Miami Herald reports. In that period he will earn between 125 and 150 million dollars. Converted, this is between 115 and 140 million euros.
Messi earns a mega salary, ticket prices are skyrocketing
In the background, Major League Soccer sponsors Adidas and Apple are working on additional deals based on the revenue Messi helps generate. The Argentinian would receive a percentage of that. It is clear that Inter Miami has struck a golden blow by bringing in Messi, because revenues will also rise sharply outside the field. Ticket prices are skyrocketing as a result of the club’s plans to increase the stadium’s capacity. Commercially, Inter Miami is also making huge strides.
CNN reports that some tickets have increased in price by as much as one thousand percent since Messi’s arrival. After Messi’s arrival, an average ticket that cost $ 120 on Monday cost $ 1,248. The cheapest ticket, which cost $29, cost $660. And afterward the inquiry is still whether Messi really partakes. Fans who come only for the Argentinian should trust that he is fit.
Inter Miami hopes to have Messi for the first time on July 21, when the club plays Cruz Azul in a League Cup match that will be played in a few minutes. However, the exact date of that match is still unknown as it was sold out. It is not yet clear whether that match will be played in the Bury Miami arena, which can concede 18,000 fans. As indicated by American media, the game might be moved to Hard Rock Arena, home to NFL club Miami Dolphins, which can hold 65,000 individuals.
Neymar stands up for Messi: “I already knew about his decision”
The fact that Lionel Messi has chosen Inter Miami does not come as a surprise to former teammate Neymar. He stands up for the criticized Argentinian, while Ander Herrera also makes himself heard.
Messi signed this week for two and a half years with Inter Miami, which has trumped Barcelona and a club from Saudi Arabia. “I already knew it,” says Neymar at the NBA final between Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets. “Messi is one of my best friends. I had the honor of meeting and playing with him. We became friends, so I knew where he was going. We talked about that. I told him he’s going to be happy with the city, the life and the chance to play in Miami. I am sure that Messi will change the MLS and make the league more popular. Everyone will have to enjoy him, because unfortunately everything comes to an end.”
Messi has received a lot of criticism at PSG in the past two seasons, because he would have been a lot less in shape and would have cut corners in training. Former teammate Herrera refutes that. “He has exceeded all my expectations. I always appreciated him as a footballer, but now even more as a person,” he told TyC Sports. “It’s a lie that he had a fight with Kylian Mbappé. I don’t understand why the media has to put someone down to bring the other up. Messi is a born winner and has always taken training seriously. You can’t win the Ballon d’Or seven times without his mentality.”
