Argentine superstar and global phenomena Lionel Messi is set to make his debut for new club Inter Miami this week. The little magician signed a 2-year contract valid till 2025, to spend the latter years of his career in the magic city of Miami. Lionel Messi was presented in Inter Miami’s home stadium on Sunday along with ex-Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets.
The Miami-based club could make even more signings this summer, with Leo’s ex-teammates Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez heavily linked with a move to the club. The fans will be drooling to see El Mago dawn the pink jersey and make the defenders dance to his tune. Lionel Messi’s debut will be in the League Cup, annually played between MLS and Liga MX clubs. Inter Miami will play their opening game against Mexican Premier Division club Cruz Azul.
Inter Miami owner eyes double revenue over next year following Lionel Messi boost
Apart from his certain footballing ability, Messi also adds impeccable brand value to any club. Leo is the world’s second-highest-paid athlete, only behind Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. The club’s managing owner, Jorge Mas, predicts that the club’s valuation can increase by 100% over the next year.
Forbes valued Inter-Miami at $600 million, the 11th highest in the MLS at the moment. In his conversation with CNBC, Jorge Mas quoted: “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 further added: “When does an athlete truly have the opportunity to change the sport, I think that’s the opportunity that Messi has ahead of himself.”
“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.”
Lionel Messi brings extreme commercial advantages which can see the club’s valuation skyrocket to anything between $1.2 – $1.5 billion. Moreover, Messi’s craze cannot be matched by Adidas’s huge production capacity. Although Messi jerseys are being produced around the clock, the demand remains unmatched.
Messi debut tickets selling for over $56000 along with massive surge in ticket sale
With Messi’s impending entry on the Miami pitch, fans are ready to go above all leaps and bounds to grab a look at the Argentine. Ticket prices have skyrocketed with unparalleled demand. Usually, Miami prices the tickets ranging from $27 and $188. However, for Inter Miami’s clash with Cruz Azul, prices have ascended up to an outlandish $56,000.
Ticket prices are beginning from $10,000 about 50 times more than the basic ticket price. Therefore, Inter Miami are likely to benefit from their superstar signing both on and off the pitch, with the club stamping money off the pitch. Tickets are also available for Inter Miami’s game against Charlotte on 20 August.
What do you make of the “Messi effect”? Please let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
