As the saying goes, “money talks.” And in the world of professional soccer, player salaries can say a lot about a team’s priorities and ambitions. With Inter Miami CF’s ambitious plans to become a top team in Major League Soccer, it’s worth taking a closer look at the salaries of their players.
The average base salary of an Inter Miami CF player is $521,667 with an average annualized guaranteed compensation of $582,437. The highest-paid player is Josef Martínez, with a base salary of $4,000,000 and guaranteed compensation of $4,391,667.
It’s no surprise that fans are curious about what these players are earning. In this article, we’ll dive into the numbers and reveal the salaries of all Inter Miami CF players for the 2023 season, including an analysis of the highest earners with respect to the rest of the roster, and a salary comparison with other MLS teams. Get ready to be surprised!
Table of Contents
- Inter Miami CF Salaries
- Top Highest-Paid Players
- The Proportion of Spending on the Highest Earners
- Inter Miami Salaries Compared to Other MLS Teams
- Funding: Where Is The Money Coming From?
Inter Miami CF Salaries
Here is a breakdown of Inter Miami CF players’ base salary and guaranteed compensation.
Top Highest-Paid Players
The top 3 highest-paid players of Inter Miami CF are:
- Josef Martínez – $4,391,667
- Rodolfo Pizarro – $3,350,000
Josef Martínez – $4,391,667
The Venezuelan Josef Martínez was signed by Inter Miami CF in January 2023 after his contract with Atlanta United was bought out. He is a designated player with a compensation of $4,391,667 making him the highest earner in the club. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is €4 million as of June 2023.
Martínez has had a successful career in the MLS, having won the MLS Golden Boot in 2018, MLS Cup MVP in 2018, and MLS MVP in 2019. He has also been named to the MLS Best XI in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Prior to joining Inter, Martínez played for another MLS team, Atlanta United, Swiss club Young Boys, and Italian club Torino.
Rodolfo Pizarro – $3,350,000
The Mexican attacking midfielder, Rodolfo Pizarro was signed by Inter Miami CF in February 2020 from Monterrey for a reported fee of $12 million USD. He played 2 seasons with Inter, prior to being loaned out again to Monterrey for the 2022 season. The Mexican returned to The Herons for the 2023 season.
He is also a designated player for Inter Miami CF with a compensation of $3,350,000, the second-highest in the roster. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is €3.5 million as of June 2023.
Pizarro has had a successful career, having won the Liga MX Clausura in 2016 and the CONCACAF Champions League in 2019 with Monterrey. He has also won the Gold Cup with the Mexican national team in 2019. Prior to joining MLS, Pizarro played for several Mexican clubs, including Pachuca and Chivas.
The Proportion of Spending on the Highest Earners
As a trend that is normal across MLS teams, the designated players of each team account for a good chunk of the overall payroll. For the 2023 season, Josef Martínez, Rodolfo Pizarro, and Gregore de Magalhães da Silva represent just over 50% of Inter’s salary!
While this designated vs rest of the players’ ratio is high, it is not the highest among the MLS teams. For example, LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire designated players to account for 58% of the whole payroll.
Doing a further analysis of the percentage of the highest earner and Venezuelan National player Josef Martínez accounts for 26% of the team’s salary. That’s a quarter of the whole roster compensation!
Inter Miami Salaries Compared to Other MLS Teams
Inter Miami has a total roster compensation of $18 million. While this is a significant payroll, the reality is there are other teams like Toronto FC, LA Galaxy, and DC United, which have to pay over $20 million in their players’ salaries.
The reason for Inter not investing even more in players is not because they can’t. Instead, the MLS fined the team with an MLS Record $2 million for violating salary budget and roster regulations during the 2020 season.
Additionally, the MLS also reduced the club’s allocation money by $2.3 million for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Hence, if you add the allocation money in signing another top-quality player, plus the salary for the roster of the 2023 season, the team payroll would have surpassed the $20 million mark.
Funding: Where Is The Money Coming From?
Inter Miami CF is one of the newest teams in Major League Soccer (MLS) and has made significant investments in player salaries since its inception in 2020 such as the signing of the ex-Real Madrid and ex-Juventus striker, Gonzalo Higuain in the same year.
So where is the money coming from to pay these salaries? According to MLS rules, each team is allowed to have three designated players whose salaries exceed the league’s maximum budget charge.
These players are typically high-profile signings who bring star power and talent to the team. In addition to designated players, teams can also use allocation money to sign or retain players. Allocation money is a form of currency that can be used to pay down a player’s salary cap hit or acquire players from other teams.
Inter Miami CF is owned by a group of investors led by former Manchester United and England footballer David Beckham, in addition to Jorge Mas and Jose Mas who also invest in the Spanish team Real Zaragoza.
Overall, Inter Miami CF’s funding comes from a combination of ownership investment, league revenue sharing, and sponsorship deals. The team has partnerships with several companies, including Heineken, Florida Blue, and AutoNation, which provide additional revenue streams. As the team continues to grow and develop, it is likely that we will see more investment and sponsorship deals in the future.
