The outrageous cost of playing Lionel Messi and Argentina revealed

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 30 Oct 2025 10:09 CDT
• 3 min read

News

Lionel Messi is, of course, box office.

The Argentine is regarded as one of the greatest players in history and in the eyes of many, he is the undisputed best player to ever lace a pair of boots.

He has 45 trophies in his career which has spanned stints at Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.

As well as numerous league and Champions League titles, he has won an unmatched eight Ballon d'Or trophies.

At 38 years old, Messi is in the twilight of his career so there is a finite amount of time we can enjoy him before he retires.

With that in mind, countries are doing their utmost to secure Argentina in glamour friendly matches in the hope and expectation that Messi will appear.

On November 13, Argentina will face Angola in a friendly at the Stade du 11-Novembre in Talatona. It has a capacity of 48,500 and for the honour of having Messi and co., the Angola soccer federation has paid the A.F.A., Argentina’s soccer federation, a cool €12 million.

In 2023, the New York Times reported that the starting cost of facing Argentina in a friendly was $5 million. Not only are countries desperate to see Messi in action live, but they want the prestige of hosting the current holders of the World Cup, which Argentina won in 2022 in Qatar.

Messi, Son and the biggest MLS Salaries

Unsurprisingly, Inter Miami icon Messi has been the best-paid player in MLS since he arrived in 2023, and by some distance, too. Before Heung-min Son joined LAFC for a league-record $26.5 million in 2025, the Argentine was earning more than twice as much as the second-highest-paid player.

Son's mid-season arrival now sees him occupy second place, as per updated MLSPA figures, and the South Korean stands to earn a guaranteed yearly compensation of $11.15m. This is still some way short of Messi's $20.45m. The data does not yet take the 38-year-old's new three-year contract into account which will undoubtedly see an increase.

Messi is one of three Inter Miami players in the top 10 highest earners, along with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Both will retire after the playoffs, freeing up massive expenditures of $8.77m and $6m, respectively.

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