23 for ‘23: Lionel Messi’s Miami Move Shook Up U.S. Soccer
The main soccer headline of 2023 may sound familiar: One of the biggest superstars in soccer (and sports) stuns the world by moving to the United States. But not even David Beckham’s ’07 transfer to the LA Galaxy could match the fever pitch of Lionel Messi’s signing with Inter Miami, the MLS club co-owned by Beckham (who is also the team president). Fresh off a dramatic World Cup triumph with Argentina in Qatar, Messi shocked the world by choosing MLS over FC Barcelona and offers reportedly worth $400 million a year from Saudi Arabia.
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The details of Messi’s MLS deal aren’t precise, but he reportedly earns $50 million to $60 million a year in addition to revenue-sharing agreements reportedly with the new MLS Season Pass streaming service on Apple TV and Adidas. The 36-year-old has been worth every penny. Once news of his signing broke in June, Inter Miami’s away games became the hottest tickets on the market (his first road game, in Dallas, sold out in 10 minutes, and resale value went as high as $9,000 a pop). In just two months, his pink Inter Miami shirt became the top-selling MLS jersey of the entire year. The Argentine’s arrival is expected to double his club’s $600 million valuation.
On the pitch, Messi lived up to the hype. He joined the team, which was floundering, in July and scored in each of his first seven matches in all competitions. In 14 appearances he recorded 11 goals (including a stellar free kick in the 94th minute of his debut) and eight assists while captaining Inter Miami to the inaugural Leagues Cup trophy, which gave him 44 trophies for club and country, the most of any player in history.
Messi arrived too late to pull Inter anywhere near a playoff berth. But given Messi’s 2023 form, don’t bet against it in ’24.