The mercurial ace footballer, Lionel Messi, is coming to America: “Lionel Messi has agreed to join Inter Miami of the American MLS League, turning down more than a $1 billion offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.” The US club will pay him about $54 million per year; he could have made about $1.7 billion for three seasons in Saudi Arabia.

Yet, that is not a fair comparison. The American deal offers Messi a part to own something over just being an employee. The Saudis will hire and pay him; in the US, he has a clear path to become a sports-entrepreneur. As a sports entrepreneur, Messi could command valuations in excess of $1.7 billion even within three years.

Soccer’s biggest superstar could soon be relocating to the U.S. Lionel Messi announced Wednesday that he plans to sign with Inter Miami, choosing the Major League Soccer team over a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia or a return to his beloved Barcelona. The details of the Argentine forward’s deal with Miami aren’t yet known. But The Athletic reports that it could include a profit-sharing deal with Apple (which holds worldwide broadcasting rights to Major League Soccer) and Adidas (MLS’s exclusive jersey provider), and an ownership stake in Inter Miami when his playing career ends.

Ticket prices for Inter Miami’s road matches have jumped on the news, with the cheapest tickets to see the team play at the Los Angeles Football Club in September over $450.

Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain on June 30 and could make his Inter Miami debut in August, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, citing anonymous sources. (LinkedIn News)

Yes, by playing in the US even as he gets to his football retirement phase, he will seed licensing, branding, etc pipelines that over time, he could launch not just a football club (part of his deal), but a digital franchise in football which can be massive in the United States. Period, Messi and David Beckham (co-owner of Inter Miami) have a real chance to own a football-anchored startup unicorn. Saudi Arabia does not offer that opportunity.

How did I know? Read these words from Messi: “”I really wanted to return to Barça, I had that dream. But after what happened two years ago, I did not want to be in the same situation again, leaving my future in the hands of someone else…” In America, Messi will be the boss, not just  on the pitch, but also after he drops the jerseys, when he begins to wear suits in boardrooms. 

In the Igbo Nation, the elders will remind you – do not block the flow of the village stream because everyone depends on it. The stream here is the large American money base, and if Messi connects via ESPN, Fox Sports, etc as a player into their hearts, Messi 2.0 The Businessman will be worth so much more. He scored a great goal on this deal but the trophies will come years later on his net worth!

Thinking long-term to secure and score a distant future today, it is a #goal there and a lesson for us.

Lionel Messi has agreed to join Inter Miami of the American MLS League, turning down more than a $1 billion offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.

Messi’s decision comes after his two seasons spell in PSG France where he won the Ligue 1 title twice. The former Barcelona playmaker turned down offers from European clubs, including his childhood club Barcelona, to move away from Europe.

“I made the decision that I am going to go to Miami,” Messi said…”I still haven’t closed it 100%. I’m missing some things, but we decided to continue on the path.”

Inter Miami is reportedly offering Messi a $54 million per year contract, much less pay than what Al-Hilal offered. Al-Hilal reportedly increased its offer to $1.7 billion for three seasons.

Updated (6/15/2023): Lionel Messi’s decision to sign with Inter Miami FC might deliver the financial kick that Adidas needs, according to Forbes. The German sportswear giant has sponsored the Argentine soccer star since 2006, striking a lifetime contract with Messi in 2017 worth an estimated $1 billion. Messi’s Major League Soccer debut later this summer is “likely to drive U.S. market share” for Adidas, Bernstein analysts write, boosting the company’s stock by up to 30%. That would be a welcome turnaround for Adidas, which has struggled with financial fallout from its terminated partnership with rapper and designer Ye.

• Messi’s Miami contract, estimated to be worth $125 million to $150 million, reportedly includes profit-sharing agreements with Adidas and Apple.
• The “Messi Effect” can already be seen in Inter Miami ticket prices. The lowest-listed resale price for Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul on July 21 — Messi’s first match — has increased 1,034%. Tickets were selling from $810 to $20,701.

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Comment: I thought otherwise before but now I see great reason…

My Response: Messi needs to show his face as a player to connect with US fans. Coming from Saudi for this deal will make him look stale, but from the heart of football (Europe), he has sparks. Sure, he can pick $1b from Saudi but Adidas, Apple, and broad emerging soccer can help him score. The trophies for this will come later. As a ball club owner, he is better positioned.  Coming to America wins the $$$ because there is nothing else to be won by him.

Lionel Messi has agreed to join Inter Miami of the American MLS League, turning down more than a $1 billion offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.

Messi’s decision comes after his two seasons spell in PSG France where he won the Ligue 1 title twice. The former Barcelona playmaker turned down offers from European clubs, including his childhood club Barcelona, to move away from Europe.

“I made the decision that I am going to go to Miami,” Messi said…”I still haven’t closed it 100%. I’m missing some things, but we decided to continue on the path.”

Inter Miami is reportedly offering Messi a $54 million per year contract, much less pay than what Al-Hilal offered. Al-Hilal reportedly increased its offer to $1.7 billion for three seasons.

The Argentine said his decision to move to the United States was not influenced by money.

“Money [has] never been an issue with me. We didn’t even discuss the contract with Barcelona! They sent me a proposal but it was never an official, written and signed proposal.

“We never negotiated my salary. It wasn’t about money otherwise I was going to join Saudi,” he said.

Speaking in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Messi explained why he turned down Barcelona where many had expected him to return.

“I really wanted to return to Barça, I had that dream. But after what happened two years ago, I did not want to be in the same situation again, leaving my future in the hands of someone else…”

“If the Barcelona thing didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more [about] my family.”

Barcelona made the difficult decision to let Messi go in August 2021 owing to financial difficulties encountered by the Spanish side. But before then, the 35-year-old was at the center of blame for everything wrong in the club, including the loss of games and the financial trouble.

Messi said he had turned down Barcelona because he doesn’t want to be further blamed for the club’s ordeals.

“I was already blamed for a lot of things that weren’t true in my career at Barcelona and I was a bit tired of it, I didn’t want to go through all that… What were they going to say about me if they had to sell players or things like that for my signing,” he said.

Messi’s closest rival in Europe, Cristiano Ronaldo, joined Saudi side Al Nassr early this year in a more than $200 million per year deal.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to attract more superstars with its oil-built financial muscle. Former Real Madrid player Karim Benzema and Chelsea’s N’golo Kante, have both joined Al-Ittihad in $220m and $213.8m deals respectively, over the next two years.

The Argentine astro, who just led his country to a World Cup victory, was expected by many to join the Saudi side – a move that would have revitalized the duo’s rivalry.

Meanwhile, Messi’s deal with Inter Miami includes a Percentage of subscriptions to the MLS season, a pass from Apple TV, paid directly by Apple, a percentage of Inter Miami shirt sales, paid directly by Adidas, the possibility of acquiring an MLS franchise at the end of his career.

This week, Apple TV+ announced that it secured the rights to a four-part documentary about Messi’s career. The company is also in the first year of a TV rights deal with MLS, per Sky Sports.

Messi’s decision to move to the US has stoked a patronage frenzy for Inter Miami. The club saw its Instagram followership move from 1 million to nearly 5 million in less than 24 hours.

According to TickPick, an online ticket marketplace, Inter Miami’s lowest price for a game ticket was just $29 on Tuesday, but went up to $329 on Wednesday, a 1,034% jump following Messi’s decision to join the club.

“We saw an almost instantaneous jump in Inter Miami ticket prices when the word got out that Messi was leaning towards joining the club, the company’s brand manager, Kyle Zorn, said.

“Given his status as arguably the greatest player in the world, every time Inter Miami plays on the road, we’re going to see record-breaking ticket prices.”