Major League Soccer’s hottest new star is already paying off for Inter Miami.
All-time soccer great Lionel Messi’s arrival is expected to double the club’s revenues over the next 12 months, its managing owner Jorge Mas told CNBC’s “Halftime Report.” The Argentina national and former Barcelona star joined Inter Miami on Monday.
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Mas also said that his team’s valuation could reach $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion in the next year. Forbes’ most recent estimate pegged Miami as MLS’ 11th most valuable team, worth $600 million.
“When we got into the project of Inter Miami, we really did it wanting to be the premier platform for football in the United States,” Mas said.
Supporters of Argentinian soccer player Leo Messi gather outside the Inter Miami DRV Pnk Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, July 11, 2023.
Marco Bello | Reuters
He said the process of bringing Messi to Miami began in 2019, when he and co-owner David Beckham flew to Barcelona to meet with Messi’s father.
“When does an athlete truly have the opportunity to change the sport, and I think that’s the opportunity that Messi has ahead of himself,” Mas said.
Mas said he is already seeing a tremendous “Messi effect,” in all aspects commercially and in South Florida.
“It’s the only thing anyone talks about,” he added.
Messi jerseys are sold out and Adidas is printing them around the clock, Mas said.
Sports e-commerce platform Fanatics told CNBC that Messi could set a record for the most jerseys sold for a player joining a new team in any sport after 24 hours. Messi 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.
Ticket prices for Messi’s Friday U.S. debut are averaging nearly $1,300 on secondary ticket platforms like TicketIQ.
Mas said he hoped the buzz would help the MLS grow to compete with the top-notch European leagues.
“I think that it’s incumbent upon myself and my partners in Major League Soccer and fellow owners to seize the moment that we have ahead of us to hopefully elevate Major League Soccer over the course of the next three to five years to compete with the Premier League,” Mas said.
