…Owning an MLS team can be a very productive and big venture
TUE, AUGUST 01 2023-theGBJournal |Lionel Messi’s move to the Inter Miami club in the MLS league is seen as the biggest thing. No transfer has created buzz in the league since Beckham famous move, and this would surely bring more popularity and financial benefits to the league.
It was clear that Messi was going to leave PSG after both parties felt it was time to move on, he had the allure of some clubs, from Barcelona coming home to Arab dream of Messi vs Ronaldo to MLS dream of having their biggest star ever.
He chose the MLS.
MLS in full Major League Soccer is a men’s professional soccer league organized by the United States Soccer Federation.
Soccer as it is called in America is becoming a popular league worldwide. Although it has not yet reached the European leagues in terms of quality, they try to sign European starts to light up the league.
European stars like Thiery Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Andrea Pirlo, and a few other exceptional stars have participated in the MLS.
Messi’s secret Love interest in Inter Miami has been ongoing for a few years due to his good relationship with club president and also co-owner David Beckham.
It has been Beckham’s dream to bring Messi to his side at some point in his career before he retires, at least.
Also, Co-owner and billionaire Mas revealed he spent up to three years trying to lure Messi and his dad to the club.
Owning an MLS team can be a very productive and big venture. One of the main benefits of owning an MLS team is the potential for increased brand recognition and exposure.
Ticket sales and game day revenue are another profit from owning an MLS team, in a country where soccer isn’t popular stars attract more crowds and ticket sales forbes most recent estimates pegged Miami as the MLS’s 11th most valuable team, worth $600 million.
The value of inter-Miami would surely go higher with the arrival of one of the world’s greatest players in history and a World Cup winner when is next evaluated.
MESSI BENEFITS
Messi’s move to Miami would benefit both parties including the league itself. Although Messi stated several reasons why he decided to move to Miami from family to closeness to home, this was after he reportedly rejected a huge club offer from Saudi Arabia.
Al Hilal reportedly offered to pay him €1.5 billion for 3 years, or 500 million per season, he didn’t get such monetary offer from Miami, but the deal is also good with the US club considering benefits even after retirement.
Messi’s benefits from the Miami club are also huge not only would he earn from salary and bonuses, he would also earn from profit sharing with two of MLS’s biggest commercial partners, Apple and Adidas.
It has also been confirmed that Messi has the option to purchase a minority stake in the club, which is partially owned and operated by David Beckham who signed a similarly unique deal when he joined the MLS in 2007.
Comments from Jorge Mas (also the club’s co-owner) indicated that Messi would earn close to $60 million per year which includes his salary, owning a stake in Inter Miami and his signing bonus.
The contract runs from July 1st until late December 2025. Messi would be the highest earner in American soccer, and the two-and-a-half-year deal would be worth up to $150 million in total from his salary, signing bonus, and equity in the team.
Messi earning income from MLS, Apple, and Adidas would be big, reportedly receiving a percentage cut of all new paid subscriptions to the MLS season pass.
Not only would Messi gain big from this deal, but the club would also gain big financially, there have been massive surge in ticket sales.
On his debut the stadium was filled to capacity with 21,000 fans despite the high increase in price, the club also has a new look on their social Media accounts. On June 7th, the day of his announcement, Miami’s Instagram followers sat at around 900,000 within and 24 hours, they had reached an astonishing 4.5 million.
During the week commencing June 5th Miami gained more than 6.7 million followers the week before his official announcement Inter Miami had 8.6 million followers on Instagram; currently Inter Miami has 12.6 million followers.
Inter Miami would also gain strength on the field. Lionel Messi still has that footballing ability. His friends and former team mates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are also major signings for the Inter Miami team.
Messi scored a late free-kick winner in his debut match and bagged a brace in their last match in their 4-0 win over Atlanta United in the League Cup.
Before his arrival, Miami was winless in over 11 games, which showed how he has helped improve the team.
Inter Miami which is worth $600 million, could skyrocket to between $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion in the next year.
According to co-owner Jorge Mas, they are expected to double the club’s revenues over the next 12 months. Messi Jerseys are sold out and Adidas is printing them around the clock.
According to Mas, ticket sales were averaging nearly $1,300 on secondary ticket platforms such as Ticket IQ. Since signing him ticket prices were up some 500%.
Sports e-commerce platform fanatics told CNBC that Messi could set a record for the most jerseys sold by a player.
Joining a new team in any sport after 24 hours, Messi’s sales are on pace with the current first-day jersey sales record set by Cristiano Ronaldo immediately following his move to Manchester United in 2021.
All in all, Messi’s move to Inter Miami is a win-win situation for both parties. It is also a big win for the league. Analysis is provided by Wavysport
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