To Jorge Mas, one of the owners of the franchisedon’t “it would surprise” that its value reaches US$ 1.5 billion in one year. adidas can’t cope. Asking for the shirt argentinian player today on their website, it will arrive in October at the earliest. Perhaps that is why the false replicas that invaded beaches and cities this summer were accentuated.
16 years ago David Beckham landed in Los Angeles to sign with the Galaxy in exchange for, among other things, securing ownership of an MLS franchise in the future. Almost two decades later, that firm has become one of the best investments in the history of sports following the arrival of Leo Messi in Miami.
The former English footballer always knew how to surround himself well and, once retired, together with his partners, the Más brothers, they fought to acquire the franchise that would later become Inter Miami, with a very clear objective: sign Leo Messi. Because of football? Also, but there is an evident economic approach that is making gold for all the partners involved.
One of the main owners of Inter Miami, Jorge Más, knows this economic impact like no one else, which beyond the details, can be summarized in that the club is going to double its profits in the first year since Messi’s arrival.
“Our value will increase significantly. I wouldn’t be surprised if the valuation of our franchise in one year could potentially reach US$1.3 billion or US$1.5 billion.”More commented in an interview with the specialized finance network CNBC.
Today, the market value of Inter Miami, a team with just five years of history, is higher than that of historic Premier League teams such as Newcastle, Everton or Aston Villa, among others. And of course, it is the highest valued franchise in the entire MLS.
Sales commissions boost Messi’s income
One of the most immediate effects since Messi landed was the disappearance of all the pink and black shirts with the number ten on the back, which were sold for US$159.99.
In a few days, there were not even one left in the official stores located at the DRV PNK Stadium, whose doors gathered endless queues of fans who could only buy a maximum of two units to ensure that stocks did not run out.
“Adidas is very busy manufacturing and screen printing t-shirts,” Jorge Más stated with a smile. The saturation is such that anyone who orders one online will have to wait at least until October to receive it.
This frenetic pace of shirt sales is also a huge benefit for Messi himself, who has agreed with Adidas and the club itself for a percentage of all those benefits.
It is estimated that in this year 2023, half a million units may be sold, at a value of almost US$ 200 to US$ 100 million (in just six months).
The same thing happens with Apple TV, the platform that owns the MLS transmission rights from this year 2023, and which, until July, had one million subscribers.
He ‘Messi effect’ This figure has doubled to two million people with access to the matches.
When the MLS saw that Saudi Arabia was becoming a threat when it came to recruiting Messi due to the economic potential of its league, it opened talks with Apple, inviting them to be creative. And thus an unprecedented agreement emerged, offering the footballer a percentage of each subscription sold.
To watch the North American league you can do so through a monthly subscription that costs US$14.99 per month or US$99 for the entire season. With a special package that emerged since Messi’s arrival for $49.
It will go down in history that on July 21, 2023, the day of Messi’s debut with his new team, Apple processed 110,000 new subscriptions for the MLS Pass.
He who has a ticket, has a treasure
Everything goes up, and the DRV PNK Stadium has become too small, despite the fact that it was expanded by about 3,000 extra seats.
More seats means more money, especially because every time Inter Miami plays at home it doesn’t even make an impression, and it doesn’t affect the fact that the price of tickets in Fort Lauderdale has increased on average by 486% in regular sales, a figure that rises in resale (which is legal in the United States through authorized portals).
Not only does Inter Miami benefit, the six teams that benefit from it also benefit. “They have won the lottery” for hosting Martino’s team in the final stretch of the regular season. It also coincides that almost all of them are very large cities and huge markets like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago.
Comparing the prices of Inter Miami away games, the increase from last year to this year is 1,002%, with tickets reaching US$2,395 in Los Angeles,
US$ 1,674 in New York or US$ 1,755 when they compete ‘the derby’ in Orlando this coming September 24th.
At the beginning of September, Inter Miami was already, with almost 15 million ‘followers’the fourth team with the most followers on Instagram in the United States, leaving behind historic franchises from the NFL, NBA or MLB.
Only three organizations surpass Messi’s team, all of them from the NBA: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. This means Inter Miami will make tens of millions of dollars more in its upcoming annual sponsorship deals.
Source: EFE
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
