Lionel Messi is a professional Argentine soccer player who currently plays for Inter Miami in the MLS(Major League Soccer) league. On July 15, 2023, Messi shocked the world with his sudden transfer to Inter Miami to play in MLS.
For several decades, soccer has been on the rise in the U.S. But it has always come second to American loved sports such as football, basketball, and baseball. Soccer is most famous in Europe because the biggest tournaments are held there such as the Champions League, and Premier League. Despite this, MLS has seen some of the sports biggest stars join their club before. The most popular occurance of this, was when David Beckham joined MLS. In July of 2007, Beckham left his former club to join the MLS club LA Galaxy.
Since then, we haven’t seen many stars make their way into the MLS league which has kept it from an increased viewership. This all changed when Messi joined.
After winning the 2022 world cup, Messi had won it all. He had a world cup, champion league trophies, and hundreds of awards under his belt. It was now time for something new in his career. Messi was able to secure the bag when he moved to MLS. The deal was set and it looked like an absolute steal for both sides. Prior to joining Inter Miami, Messi was earning an estimated $60 million a year. Now under his new contract with MLS, Apple TV, and Adidas, he is now currently making approximately $150 million a year. An absolute epic deal for Messi.
Now for MLS, they also saw major benefits from their side of the deal. Not only did acquire one of the greatest footballers ever, Their revenue has increased in every aspect. Their number of subscriptions have doubled, they have received a 280% increase in season pass holders, and their fan attendance has also increased by over 36%.
Messi is one of the most decorated professional athletes in the history of sports. Since joining Inter Miami in July, he has changed the entire culture of the MLS league. Both sides benefited from this blockbuster deal, and we’ll see Messi in Miami for years to come.
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