{"id":281061,"date":"2026-05-22T17:08:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T17:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281061\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T17:08:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T17:08:28","slug":"lionel-messi-joins-inter-miami-co-owner-david-beckham-in-billionaire-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281061\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi joins Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham in billionaire club"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lionel Messi<\/a> has reportedly joined David Beckham in football\u2019s billionaire club, and his move to Inter Miami<\/a> now looks even smarter in hindsight.<\/p>\n

According to Bloomberg, the Inter Miami captain has surpassed the $1bn mark after nearly three years in the United States with the MLS club.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

What stands out is that Messi did not simply accept a late-career payday. He chose a project that offered not just a salary, but also commercial leverage and long-term business opportunities.<\/p>\n

Messi\u2019s Inter Miami move was never just about salary\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo by Chris Arjoon\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Messi could have used MLS as a final stop. Instead, his move now looks like one of the shrewdest business decisions of his career.<\/p>\n

Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas has said Messi earns around $70m to $80m per year when the full package is included.<\/p>\n

That figure goes well beyond a standard playing wage. Messi\u2019s move to MLS also came with Apple and Adidas-linked commercial deals, setting it apart from a typical player contract.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

That is the key. Messi did not just join Inter Miami. He became part of the club\u2019s growth story.<\/p>\n

He has since extended his stay, with MLS confirming his contract runs through 2028.<\/p>\n

David Beckham already proved why Inter Miami could change everything<\/p>\n

Beckham\u2019s presence makes Messi\u2019s milestone even more significant.<\/p>\n

David and Victoria Beckham were listed with a combined fortune of \u00a31.185bn in the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List.<\/p>\n

That figure highlights how powerful Inter Miami has become as a business. Beckham did not get richer because MLS stayed small. He got richer because the club and league grew into something far bigger.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Messi has now reached the same financial tier, albeit through a different path. Beckham did it through ownership. Messi did it through playing power, brand strength and commercial demand.<\/p>\n

That is why the comparison works. Inter Miami is the common link between two very different billionaire stories.<\/p>\n

Saudi money was bigger, but Miami offered something different<\/p>\n

The easiest route to wealth would have been Saudi Arabia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Before joining Inter Miami in 2023, Messi had reported offers from Saudi clubs worth hundreds of millions per year.<\/p>\n

That path would have delivered the biggest immediate salary, and from the outside, it would have been the obvious choice.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

But Miami offered more than just money. It provided access to the US sports market, global streaming, Adidas merchandise and a reported future ownership stake.<\/p>\n

That wider structure is why the billionaire milestone changes how the move should be viewed.<\/p>\n

Inter Miami has become the real winner of the Messi effect<\/p>\n

Messi\u2019s billionaire status is personal, but the impact on Inter Miami is wider.<\/p>\n

The club is now valued at about $1.45bn, making it one of the clearest examples of how one player can change a team\u2019s commercial profile.<\/p>\n

That does not mean Messi alone created all of Inter Miami\u2019s value. Beckham, Mas and the wider ownership group built the platform first.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

But Messi gave that platform global scale. Tickets, shirts, sponsors, streaming interest and international attention all grew after his arrival.<\/p>\n

This is more than just a rich footballer becoming richer. Messi helped make the asset around him more valuable while building his own wealth.<\/p>\n

Messi chose the smarter long-term play<\/p>\n

Messi did not pick the simplest financial path when he moved to Inter Miami.<\/p>\n

He chose a route with more moving parts, and that decision now looks smarter than ever.<\/p>\n

Beckham showed what MLS ownership could become. Messi has shown what the right player, in the right market, with the right commercial backing, can still achieve at the end of a legendary career.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The Saudi money may have been bigger on paper. But Miami offered something more valuable than a final contract: a business platform that has now helped Messi join football\u2019s billionaire club.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi has reportedly joined David Beckham in football\u2019s billionaire club, and his move to Inter Miami now…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[119756,78471,15257,10073,1660,123,125,124,5692,13228],"class_list":["post-281061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-billionaire-club","tag-david-and-victoria-beckham","tag-david-beckham","tag-inter-miami","tag-lionel-messi","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-mls","tag-saudi-arabia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}