Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Summer 2023 at Major League Soccer will be remembered as Messi’s season.
It’s been 18 weeks since Lionel Messiarguably the best soccer player in the world, made his MLS debut for Inter Miami CFeffectively transforming a Leagues Cup match against LigaMx’s Cruz Azul into a sold-out football spectacle.
Of course, the match ended with an unforgettable goal from Messi’s free kick in the 94th minute.th minute that gave his new team a 2-1 victory. The owners of Inter Miami, David Beckham and the Mas Brothers, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber, couldn’t have asked for a better debut for the Argentine in America.
Messi’s arrival in the United States not only brought unprecedented enthusiasm and talent to MLS, it also transformed the league’s business landscape.
Inter is booming
Since the 36-year-old sign With Inter Miami on July 15, the team experienced a seismic shift both sportingly and commercially.
First come social media followers: The South Florida franchise has gained 15.4 million followers on Instagram since June and is now the fourth most followed American sports franchise on that platform, surpassing all teams of the NFL, MLB and NHL.
Your #10@InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/STrMhYXINJ
– Jorge Mas (@Jorge__Mas) November 11, 2023
Even before his arrival, Inter had a plan in place. The team inserted clauses into a number of its existing sponsorship deals (including its XBTO jersey deal) and intentionally made a number of deals expire at the end of this year in order to be able to make it to the market with two full years of Messi on the horizon. , according to Inter commercial director Xavier Asensi, who spoke to Sportico in September.
Additionally, ticket sales for Inter Miami have skyrocketed since Messi’s arrival. Since its debut in July, Inter fans have filled the 21,000-seat DRV PNK stadium, whether Messi played or not.
Once Messi was on the pitch, the increased attention to the team brought in more sponsors and more revenue. Two weeks after Messi’s debut at Inter, Ares Management Corp. (NYSE: ARES) closed a $75 million preferred stake investment in the franchise.
A few weeks after Messi’s arrival, they forecast $200 million in revenue in 2024, more than triple the target set before Messi’s arrival, according to Asensi. Last year, Sportico estimated Inter Miami FC at $585 million, 10th highest in the league, with projected revenue of $54 million.
The team did not reach the playoffs, but thanks to Messi they won the League Cup, the club’s first trophy.
Eastern Conference benefits from Messi (ticket sales)
Inter Miami’s opponents also reported a significant increase in match revenue during the second half of the season.
One of these teams was the New York Red Bulls. The team, which was scheduled to face Inter Miami on August 26, began preparing for Messi’s arrival even before he signed with the MLS club. According to team president/general manager Marc de Grandpré, who spoke with Sportico In late August, the team lobbied the league to schedule its home game against Inter Miami in the second half of the MLS season, knowing that there was a possibility that Messi would then be part of that team. Once the match was scheduled, the club decided not to sell tickets for a match, knowing that if Messi arrived they could sell the inventory at higher prices. Grandpré’s plans paid off: Inter Miami’s match against Red Bull became the most profitable match in the team’s 13-year history.
A few weeks later, the the Chicago fire capitalized on Messi. The team had sold around 10,000 tickets for the Miami game earlier in the season before Messi’s arrival was announced. Following this announcement, the Fire developed a complex strategy to offer their most loyal fans affordable tickets to see the GOAT while implementing several strategies to increase season ticket sales for the 2024 season.
The team sold its 62,000-seat stadium, including all 130 suites, generating about 55% of the team’s ticket revenue for the entire season, according to a source familiar with the matter. It turned out that due to injury, Messi did not play against the Chicago franchise.
The Fire and Red Bulls aren’t the only MLS clubs benefiting from Messi Mania. The Philadelphia Union, who faced Inter at Subaru Park on August 15th during the Leagues Cup semi-final he set club records for average ticket price. The average ticket price for the Philadelphia Union-Inter Miami semifinal was $481, according to Kyle Zorn, head of content strategy at CheckSelect. On average, the company sold 4.8 times more tickets for matches played by Inter Miami compared to the average number of tickets sold per match for the other 67 Leagues Cup matches that took place. The overall average purchase price for each match Inter Miami played was $256, while all other Leagues Cup matches averaged $54.
Sporting Kansas City against Inter on September 9 is perhaps the best example of Messi’s impact on ticket sales. The cheapest ticket sold for this game before it was announced in Miami was $16. Once the contract was signed with the South Florida franchise, the cheapest ticket sold on TickPick was $125. Once it was announced that the Argentine would not participate in this match due to his commitment to the Argentine national team, prices dropped and the company sold the tickets for $20.
The best-selling jersey in MLS
Messi’s pink No. 10 jersey has been the hottest item among soccer fans since his move to MLS was made public in June. But for months, the jersey has been difficult to find. Adidas, MLS and Fanatics. “The demand for Messi’s jersey in Miami has been truly unprecedented,” an Adidas spokesperson said in a statement on July 20, a month after Messi’s MLS debut was announced. “We are working as quickly as possible to ensure that every fan who wants a jersey can get one.” Representatives for Adidas and Inter Miami did not respond has Sportico request for comment on this topic, the MLS declined to comment on details of the delay to MLSstore.com.
Regardless of supply and delivery issues, Messi became the best-selling jersey in MLS in 2023 within 45 minutes of his jersey launch, setting a record for revenue on MLSStore.com by a club in a single year, depending on the league.
Messi’s jersey is also the best-selling MLS jersey in the history of MLSstore.com, which launched in 2015. The league said 89 percent of Messi jersey buyers at the store are new customers. Messi’s jersey was Fanatics’ best-selling jersey across all sports in August, with Miami being the second best-selling team overall, according to the retailer.
At Soccerex in Miami earlier this month, Asensi said Adidas had predicted the club’s pink jersey would be among the brand’s top five jerseys sold next year. The German sportswear giant makes jerseys for some of the world’s best football clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus.
And after?
Messi’s first season in MLS was short. Inter Miami finished the season 14th in the 29-team league, with its star player skipping a handful of critical matches due to a groin injury.
Messi concluded the 2023 season last week in Rio de Janeiro; the 36-year-old led his World Cup-winning national team against Brazil at the historic Maracanã stadium in the final World Cup qualifying match of the year. He was a non-factor for most of the match, did not score and was substituted in the 78th minute. Speaking to reporters after Argentina’s 1-0 win, he confirmed his injury, while delivering a hopeful message to his fans around the world.
“It was my last game of the year, so I have time to recover to start 2024 giving everything.”
