A few weeks ago Lionel Messi signed an unprecedented deal to join Inter Miami Football Club. Lionel chose this deal, which includes a cut of AppleTV+ subscription revenue and an equity stake in Inter Miami, over an equally-unprecedented offer from a Saudi team. According to various reports, the Saudis offered Lionel $1.6 billion to play for a local team for just THREE seasons. Had he taken that offer, it would have worked out to a salary of $533 million PER YEAR.
I don't know how or why any human could ever possibly reject that much money. It must have been an especially difficult and awkward decision for Lionel, who already has a highly lucrative deal to promote tourism in Saudi Arabia. The terms of that deal were just leaked, and they are pretty amazing. Lionel Messi gets paid a small fortune to essentially take vacations and post photos to social media.
(Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Lionel Messi's Saudi Tourism Deal
According to a contract that was apparently leaked to the New York Times, Lionel Messi has the ability to earn $25 million over three years to promote Saudi tourism. And while $25 million may not sound like a big number for a Messi deal, according to the contract's terms, here's what Lionel needs to do to make that money:
#1) Take an annual vacation to Saudi Arabia. He can bring up to 20 friends. All expenses are paid, including travel and five-star accommodations. The vacation must last a minimum five days.
#2) Make 10 social media posts per year that promote Saudi Arabia using hashtags that approved by the kingdom.
#3) Participate in an annual tourism ad campaign. Last year that meant appearing in a single promotional video for Visit Saudi.
For #2 and #3 above, he is paid $2 million per obligation, per year. He can then make another $2 million per year to participate in "charitable work."
Total it all up and over three years Lionel can earn $25 million for relatively little work. But there is one condition: According the contract viewed by the Times, Lionel "cannot say anything that might 'tarnish' Saudi Arabia.'"
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