Top 10 highest-paid players at Inter Miami in 2023

Lionel Messi is still a bargain amidst what was a mammoth Saudi interest

It was at the end of February 2023, when former Inter Miami manager Phil Neville readily accepted the club's ambitions to include Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets in the ranks. Although Neville is no longer at the helm of the Miami-based outfit after his departure was announced on June 1, we will now see his son Harvey Neville share the dressing room with Messi and Busquets. The Herons announced signing Messi and Busquets in June, and this has sent shockwaves across world football and increased the eye balls MLS has been getting lately.

Both Messi and Busquets are not only set to reserve the unoccupied number 10 and 5 jerseys at Inter Miami but also a hefty paycheck in the United States top-tier football league. Let us now look at where they stand among the top 10 earners in the MLS side of Inter Miami.

10. Leonardo Campana - $550,000 per year

The Ecuadorian centre forward in one of the four Inter Miami forwards who have made it to the top 10. Leonardo Campana made just 12 appearances by now albeit scoring thrice. He was also able to set his teammates up for a goal twice in the ongoing 2023 MLS campaign. The left-footed 22-year-old pockets $550,000 per year after his loan move from Premier League side Wolves was made permanent in Jan 2023.

9. Sergii Kryvtsov - $555,500 per year

Kryvtsov makes $5,500 per year more than Campana and thus stands ninth on the list. The 32-year-old Ukrainian has made 15 appearances and was also able to find himself in the scoresheet once. On January 31, 2023, Sergii Kryvtsov switched teams by moving on free from Ukraine's Premier Liga side Shakhtar Donetsk to join MLS outfit Inter Miami.

8. Corentin Jean - $720,000 per year

Currently, the Frenchman is sidelined with an ACL injury that he suffered in early June. The 27-year-old was a regular starter in Inter Miami's MLS run that still sees them in the pit of the Eastern Conference. Corentin Jean was able to nudge in 1 goal in the 15 times he appeared. Club expects the July 2022 signing from Ligue 1 side RC Lens to be back in action by the fall.

7. Gregore - $725,000 per year

The club captain pockets $725,000 annually earning him seventh place of the current 2023 top 10 earners at Inter Miami. Gregore is now healing from a fractured foot on the sidelines. Before he suffered a setback, the Brazilian was able to make 3 appearances which included an assist. The defensive midfielder spent most of his career in his own country until he moved to the United States after his transfer in Feb 2021 from Esporte Clube Bahia.

6. Jean Mota - $750,000 per year

Another Brazilian who is sidelined is Jean Mota. The central midfielder suffered an LCL(Lateral Collateral Ligament) injury in May on his right knee and is expected to join Messi and co by September at the earliest. Mota earns $25,000 more than his club captain for his services. He moved in from Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Santos in July 2022. Santos is a well-known Brazilian club where Neymar graduated from.

5. DeAndre Yedlin - $825,000 per year

Born in Seattle, Washington, Yedlin has played for world-renowned sides such as - Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Galatasaray. Galatasaray features in Turkish Süper Lig, while the former two represent themselves in Premier League. In February 2022, the right-back was signed on a free transfer and currently makes $825,000 in a year.

4. Rodolfo Pizarro - $3,050,000 per year

At Inter Miami, Rodolfo Pizarro dons jersey number 20 and makes over three million dollars annually. The 29-year-old Mexican left Liga MX Apertura to play in the MLS back in early 2020. By now Pizarro has made 59 appearances for the Miami-based side scoring 7 times. He has also racked up 10 assists. The attacking midfielder has also represented his national team Mexico by making 38 appearances and scoring 5 goals.

3. Josef Martinez - $4,000,000 per year

Josef Martinez announced his Major League Soccer arrival in style. In 2018 while playing for Atlanta United he managed to bag the MLS Golden Boot by scoring 31 goals. Inter Miami fans celebrated when they were able to recruit forward's services on a free transfer. Martinez moved from Atlanta to Miami in January 2023 and by now has made 20 appearances scoring four times. He earns four million dollars a year.

2. Sergio Busquets - $10,000,000 per year

New Inter Miami manager Tata Martino will be equally pleased to see two new recruits that he had once coached at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper(Barcelona's training facility). After Busquests put pen to paper on his Miami deal, he joined Lionel Messi also in the highest earners camp apart from the dressing room. The midfield maestro will earn $10,000,000 per year in MLS after serving his magic for the last 18 years at FC Barcelona.

1. Lionel Messi - $54,000,000 per year

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner needs no introduction. Lionel Messi probably the greatest player ever to play football moved to MLS side Inter Miami after his contract was up at Paris-based PSG. Messi is set to pocket a mammoth salary as much as what Busquets could earn if he continues to play for five and half years at Inter Miami. Although Messi will be earning only ten per cent of what Saudi side Al-Hilal was offering for a year of service, he still is set to pocket the highest wage at Inter Miami and moreover also in the entire MLS.