PHOTO GALLERY: Lionel Messi and his teammates laugh before the big battle with Monterrey

Messi in training today

Famous player Lionel Messi will become co-chairman and co-owner of Inter Miami Club (USA) with David Beckham, thanks to the contract activating special terms.

Beckham called, the World Cup champion answered

Former football player David Beckham spent 5 years with a lot of effort and perseverance to recruit Lionel Messi before Inter Miami officially competed in MLS (from 2020). Now, he continues to go one step further as his long-cherished wish: to keep the World Cup champion in Miami City (USA) for as long as possible.

Messi and Beckham have a profound influence on American football

AFP

“Our idea is that Messi will stay at the club even after he retires. Messi’s impact on the entire American Football industry is not only on the field, but also off the field,” Beckham once shared. shared in interviews about the Messi recruitment deal from July 2023.

To establish Inter Miami Club (in January 2018), former England Football player David Beckham used the terms he had since signing a contract to play for LA Galaxy Club in 2007: the right to establish a team in the tournament. MLS (USA). After retiring, the 49-year-old former Football player was allowed to buy a franchise from the MLS tournament for only about 25 million USD, according to Sun Sport (UK), to establish Inter Miami Club with partner, billionaire Jorge Mas. Inter Miami has a star-studded squad, including 4 famous players from Barcelona Club including Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Messi and other stars of Inter Miami

AFP

The franchise clause also applies to Messi after joining Inter Miami, but he will have the right to choose to own part of this club without having to exercise the right to buy back. “This is the wish of David Beckham and billionaire co-owner of Inter Miami, Mr. Jorge Mas, who has a net worth of more than 1.3 billion USD. Convinced by the sincerity of Beckham and Mr. Jorge Mas, Messi will activate the club’s stock ownership clause to become part of the team and take control, which may be related to football expertise, as this famous player has confessed many times before. , Sun Sport said.

“The goose that lays golden eggs”

As revealed by Forbes Magazine (USA), Messi owns assets of more than 650 million USD. Since coming to America, he and his wife Antonela and their three sons have enjoyed a luxurious and happy life in South Florida, where they just bought a luxury villa worth nearly 10 million USD.

Messi’s salary at Inter Miami Club is from 40 to 50 million USD/year. In addition, he also has income from personal agreements on television rights and shirt sales with Apple Technology company and Adidas clothing company. In return, just half of last season, Messi helped Inter Miami more than double its revenue, to nearly 120 million USD. In the 2024 season, revenue is expected to skyrocket to more than 200 million USD. These revenues were achieved thanks to the Messi effect causing a fierce ticket fever, skyrocketing advertising and Inter Miami’s epic pre-season tour in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Japan.

Power duo

AFP

Messi’s iNFLuence also helped double the number of subscriptions to online broadcasting services on the MLS tournament’s Apple TV app, and the home teams hosting Inter Miami also benefited greatly from increased ticket sales. The club also increased in value significantly, when it was valued at more than 1 billion USD.

With these successes, David Beckham and Jorge Mas wish for Messi to become part of the club with ownership, specifically holding the position of long-term co-chairman of the team after he retires. Messi currently has a contract with Inter Miami until December 2025 and has the option to extend the following year. This famous player recently shared that he “will play until he feels he can no longer contribute or support his teaMMAtes before considering retirement”.