The Messi Effect in Miami

Article ByKyle Garlett

July 31, 2023

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, US Gambling News

The signing of Lionel Messi by Inter Miami was for up to $150 million for 2 ½ years, and it is turning out to be one of the biggest bargains in American sports history. Messi has played just two games for Miami (scoring three goals), and already the financial windfall is being felt.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who just signed for $52.5 million per season, is the NFL’s highest-paid player. Justin Verlander of the Mets is the highest-paid player in baseball for 2023 at $43.3 million. In the NBA, the highest-paid player is Stephen Curry at $51.9 million for the 2023-2024 season. And not one of them is raising the profile of their teams, or the financials of their teams, like Messi is with Inter Miami.

Even as he is making more money than any of those stars, his value to his team is surpassing all of them. Inter Miami was valued at $600 million in 2022. Club owner Jorge Mas expects to see that evaluation rise to $1.5 billion by the end of 2023.

Social Media Impact

Messi himself has over 480 million followers on Instagram, which is 150 million more than the population of the United States. And now with him on Inter Miami, they have more Instagram followers than the rest of the MLS combined. Thanks to the Messi signing, Inter Miami has become the fourth-most followed sports team in the United States, only trailing the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Inter Miami has 12 million followers on Instagram, which is 11 million more than they had before the Messi signing. And the bulk of those followers are from accounts outside the United States. Not only is Inter Miami the most popular MLS club in the United States, but around the world.

When Messi made his Miami debut, in attendance were LeBron Jaames, Serena Williams, and Kim Kardashian. Kim Kardashian alone has 353 million followers on IG, and all of them received posts about Miami and Messi. LeBron James has 155 million followers, and Serena Williams has 17 million followers.

All of them being present when he scored on a free kick from 24 yards to win his Inter Miami debut opened up the team and the league to millions of new fans.

Soccer Across the United States

At the moment, the FIFA Women’s World Cup is taking place, and the 1-1 draw between the United States and Netherlands on July 26 set the record for most-watched group stage match in the history of the tournament.

Earlier in July, the Los Angeles derby between the L.A. Galaxy and L.A. Football Club was held at the Rose Bowl, and the 82,110 fans in attendance was a new MLS record. When English Premier League teams Arsenal and Manchester United played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 22, 82,262 fans were in attendance. That is a new record for a soccer game at MetLife Stadium, and 7,000 more fans than the playoff-bound New York Giants averaged at MetLife Stadium in 2022.

Some of the boost and the extra spotlight on soccer in the United States is related to Messi’s signing with the MLS. After winning the World Cup in December, he went from being one of the best players in the world, to the recognized greatest player in the sport.

Some of it is just that soccer as a whole is more popular in the U.S. than ever before. The MLS is a healthy league, with 29 teams that average $582 million in value. At the top of the evaluation heap is Los Angeles FC at $900 million.

Apple paid the MLS $2.5 billion for the broadcast rights. Fox Sports is currently the U.S. broadcast home of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Men’s World Cup in 2026. But there is expected to be a bidding war for the rights to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

In 2025, the MLS will welcome in its 30th team, San Diego FC. The National Women’s Soccer League is expanding to 14 teams in 2024, with plans to expand to 16 teams in 2026. And that same year, the United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the FIFA Men’s World Cup. Up to $500 million in economic activity is expected for each of the 11 host cities in the United States.

Soccer is having a renaissance in the United States, and Messi is its Leonardo da Vinci.