The MLS club became a sports business of global interest.
Rated as the best soccer player in the world Lionel Messi’s hiring from the MLS club Inter Miami was a risky investment, but the investment in the sport’s megastar has also paid off financially. ESPN reportedthat the financial result of the Miami association has multiplied.
Messi joined Inter Miami on July 15 last year. In the same year, the club’s operating profit almost doubled compared to the previous year, from around 50–60 million dollars to 120–130 million dollars. This year, the club is estimated to generate already 200 million dollars, approximately 181 million euros.
The growth has come from the record-breaking sponsor contracts, the high demand for admission tickets and product sales accelerated by Messi-mania.
– The difference is like night and day when we compare the time before Messi and after him. Now our operations are on an international level, commented Inter Miami’s financial affairs manager Xavier Asensi for ESPN.
– There is worldwide interest in the club, he emphasized.
The North American professional league MLS has been a minor factor in international football, especially compared to the English Premier League and the main leagues of Italy, Spain and Germany. Messi’s transfer significantly raised the profile of MLS and got supporters moving. This season, Inter Miami has signed eleven multi-year sponsorship contracts with well-known companies, including Audi and Visa.
Messi’s fan shirt, the sports giant’s most popular
The supporters have been delighted with Messi’s result, and as many as 20,000 people came to watch his presentation to the public after the star arrived in Florida. Entrance ticket prices have risen, but there is still enough demand.
The Inter Miami fan shirt bearing Messi’s name is, according to ESPN, the best-selling sports shirt of the sportswear giant Adidas, including all sports. There has also been enough demand for the club’s other new star players, of Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Albanfor shirts.
Signing Messi cost Inter Miami $150 million, but it seems like it was a worthwhile investment.
In Wednesday’s round, Messi scored twice as Inter Miami beat Columbus Crew 3-2 to win the so-called Supporters’ Shield award. The award goes to the best team in the regular season.
The Finnish player who rose to the limelight alongside Messi last year Robert Taylor was a substitute in the match. The MLS Regular Season ends after the international break on October 20.