Nine months later, Jorge Mas judged that the moment was opportune to return to one of the biggest blows of the last summer transfer window: the signing of Lionel Messi, who came at the age of 36 to end his career in the United States, at Inter Miami. In an interview given to Forbesthe co-owner of the Florida franchise explained how he convinced the Argentine world champion, who has several rather unique clauses in his contract.
To begin with, the recent world champion already earns a huge salary with Miami, between $50 and $60 million. A significantly larger amount than what he received at Paris Saint-Germain (around 30 million per season). The Argentinian also has a “David Beckham clause” in his contract, which allows him to join, if he wishes, the management of the club without spending money to buy back shares.
Revenues already doubled for Miami
Above all, Messi will be able to share the revenue generated by his club’s advertising contracts with Apple and Adidas, which is currently difficult to estimate. But his recruitment has already allowed Inter Miami to renew several sponsors. Over the first half of the season, the club doubled its revenues, generating nearly $118 million, via ticketing and partnerships. It remains to be seen whether this added value will compensate for the money spent to attract its new star.
The question does not seem to bother Mas, who co-owns the club with David Beckham. To hear him say, the businessman, also owner of Real Zaragoza, hopes above all that this recruitment will allow MLS to grow… Which would also give more value to his franchise. “It doesn’t just concern Inter Miami, but the whole league,” he assures about the transfer of Messi, under contract until 2025 with an additional year as an option. I will continue to push as hard as I can so that it can grow and be viable. »
