Inter Miami owner reveals timeline for Lionel Messi negotiations

It appears Major League Soccer club Inter Miami began targeting international superstar Lionel Messi before many realized. 

"In 2019 [when Messi was still at Barcelona], we started thinking about how we could bring him," Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas recently told Spanish newspaper El Pais, per Adriana Garcia of ESPN. "I spent three years on it, a year-and-a-half [working] very intensely. There were many conversations with [Messi's father and agent] Jorge. [Inter Miami co-owner] David [Beckham] talked to Leo, only about football issues, because he was a player."

It was initially learned back in the spring of 2021 that Messi could join Inter Miami following the 2022 FIFA World Cup held last fall. Financial issues caused the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain two summers ago, and Messi made it known when he announced he plans to head to South Beach later this month that he "really wanted to return to" the Catalan club but wasn't willing to wait for Barca to sort their finances out. 

Messi also reportedly could have earned roughly $541M per year had he signed with Saudi club Al-Hilal. Instead, the 36-year-old is expected to make his Inter Miami debut versus Cruz Azul of Mexico's Liga MX in a Leagues Cup game on July 21. 

According to ESPN, Mas said Messi will earn "between $50M and $60m per year" via his Inter Miami contract set to run through December 2025 with an option year for 2026. Messi indicated last month he won't participate in the 2026 World Cup which will feature games held in the United States, Mexico and Canada. 

"I saw it as done at the end of May," Mas said about Messi's contract situation. "I didn't want him to feel under pressure. We had spoken in Barcelona, Miami, Rosario, Doha ... I spent the whole World Cup in Qatar, watching Argentina." 

Mas added that "the Apple contract was very important to close the deal" with Messi. Apple is an MLS league sponsor and hosts the MLS Season Pass service on its streaming platform, and it's been reported Messi is receiving a cut of revenue generated from new MLS Season Pass subscribers.