Lionel Messi’s contract details have finally been revealed, as the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain superstar prepares for his arrival at Inter Miami.
The bottom side of the MLS have pulled off a massive coup to bring in arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, and fans can now begin to get excited over his arrival.
The Athletic have confirmed that his contract will run for two and a half years, with the option to extend this deal by an extra year. This means that Messi looks set to stay for a while, and make his mark in Miami.
He also looks set to wear his preferred number 10 jersey, having worn number 30 at PSG, and is still set to make his debut in the Leagues Cup against Cruz Azul on July 21st.
Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas also recently confirmed that Messi’s salary would be a figure of between $50m and $60m per year, as one of the club’s designated players.
Messi needs to hit the ground running
Although there is a lot of excitement around his arrival, and what his move could mean commercially for Miami and the MLS as a whole, there will be no time to waste from the first minute Messi steps out onto the soccer pitch in the USA.
Miami are still bottom of the table, having failed to win in 10 games, and Messi, alongside fellow incoming superstar Sergio Busquets, and new manager Gerardo Martino, have a huge job on their hands to try and rescue some pride this season.
The eventual goal of recruiting a superstar like Messi for huge money would be to eventually win the league, and completing a turnaround from the bottom to the top of the country would be a remarkable achievement if Messi can inspire yet another team to glory.