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Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi had reportedly agreed to acquire a 35% stake in MLS club Inter Miami FC and join the team as a player in 2023, but the news is “completely false,” according to his agent.
Messi would have joined an ownership group that includes soccer legend David Beckham and Cuban American businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas.
But now Messi’s agent has told French daily newspaper Le Parisien that “Leo has not yet decided on his future,” despite a report by DirecTV’s Alex Candal.
Inter Miami was valued at between $600 million and $650 million in 2021 after the Mas brothers increased their stake by buying a 48% share from tech entrepreneur Marcelo Claure and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, per Sportico.
- A 35% stake in Inter Miami is estimated to be worth more than $200 million.
- Last month, the club received approval to build a new 25,000-seat stadium.
In May 2021, Inter Miami was fined $2 million — an MLS record — for underreporting player salaries and attempting to circumvent roster restrictions. That year, the team had the highest player payroll in MLS at $17.8 million.
Money Maker
Messi bringing his talents to Miami would follow the 34-year-old signing a two-year, $41 million deal with PSG in August 2021. The deal included bonuses, a third-year option, and a reported $30 million signing bonus.
Earlier this month, Forbes unveiled its annual ranking of the world’s highest-paid athletes and Messi claimed the top spot with a pre-tax income of $133 million over the past 12 months.
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