Transforming US soccer: Will billionaire Jorge Mas' gamble to lure Lionel Messi to Inter Miami pay off?

Jorge Mas, a billionaire construction executive, took on a remarkable challenge: persuading the world's biggest football star, Lionel Messi, to join Inter Miami, a team currently struggling at the bottom of the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the US. This audacious move aims to not only boost the team's performance but also revolutionize the business of US soccer to make it more lucrative.

Mas's bold strategy involves signing Messi to a contract that veers away from traditional cash-for-services deals. Instead, it embraces revenue-sharing agreements and an equity stake in the team, drawing inspiration from Wall Street's deal-making playbook. With Messi as a centerpiece, Mas envisions attracting millions of new subscribers to Apple TV+ through which he holds a unique arrangement. In return, Inter Miami stands to gain from increased ticket and merchandise sales.

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"I have very high aspirations for Inter Miami, for MLS and for the sport," Mas said in an interview Monday, a day after thousands of fans stood in the rain to see Messi don the Florida club's uniform for the first time. "I'm all in."

The risk is undeniable, as everything hinges on a player who, despite his stellar career, is now considered aging in the world of football. At 36, Messi arrives in Miami after a two-year stint with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), where he faced scrutiny over his performance. Nonetheless, Mas remains optimistic, drawing parallels with other legends of the sport who moved to the US with mixed results.

In the 1970s, Brazilian icon Pele played three seasons with the New York Cosmos after coming out of retirement at the age of 34, while David Beckham switched from Real Madrid to the LA Galaxy in 2007. Additionally, there were Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, and Thierry Henry. And yet, the anticipated surge in popularity for US soccer never happened.

In an office in affluent Coral Gables, Florida, surrounded by Messi's jerseys and Henry Kissinger's books, Mas claims that it took more than three years to bring Messi to Miami. Selling Messi the life in Florida was part of the pitch; Mas emphasized the chance to move to a "country that's hungry for football, where he could literally change the sport," as well as the possibility to be nearer to his family in Argentina. The financial incentives played a pivotal role, with Messi's contract through 2025 offering a substantial base salary of $20 million annually, which could reach $60 million with bonuses. Post-retirement, Messi will also receive a minority stake in the team.

In addition to his deal with Inter Miami, Messi has an agreement with Adidas AG and a unique tie-up with Apple TV+, wherein he stands to gain from the service's international subscriber growth. Mas believes Messi could attract around 2 million overseas accounts in the next 18 months. "There is no other player in this country that can have the impact globally that Leo Messi can have," he said.

Messi's Miami package may not have a final value, but it was sufficient to lure him away from a more direct offer from the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. According to news sources, he would have made almost $400 million a year from that agreement.

Apple TV+ has already committed $2.5 billion over ten years to stream Major League Soccer games on its platform, further leveraging sports content to attract subscribers. Their popular TV series, Ted Lasso, centers around an American coaching a fictional Premier League team, showcasing the platform's emphasis on sports.

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It resembles Mas's accidental rise to football tycoon status in certain ways. Mas is the descendant of Jorge Mas Canosa, a Cuban immigrant who rose to prominence as a figurehead in the opposition to Fidel Castro. MasTec Inc., a $9.1 billion business that constructs wind farms, fiber-optic networks, and pipelines across the US, is the source of the family's wealth. Mas serves as chairman, and Mas's brother serves as CEO.

Mas bought out Beckham's partners at Inter Miami after making an unsuccessful effort to buy the Miami Marlins a few years prior. As a result, his family now owns 80 per cent of the team. Mas believes Messi will transform the team's fortunes and projects that its valuation might reach $1.5 billion within a year, up from Sportico's previous projection of $585 million. 

Mas has engaged midfielder Sergio Busquets and former Barcelona and Argentina coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino in order to get a new investment partner and jersey sponsor. According to him, Inter Miami's plan is to mix late-career stars with youthful upstarts.

The new Freedom Park stadium for Inter Miami, which has room for 25,000 spectators, will soon start construction. According to Mas, the privately funded project's expenses have increased by approximately 40 per cent from its initial $1 billion. The project is expected to be finished in 2025, the final year of Messi's contract, though Mas is holding out hope that his star player would sign a new deal.

Mas first witnessed Messi working out at Inter Miami's current DRV PNK Stadium (pronounced "Drive Pink") on Monday morning in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He remarked, "It was unbelievable."

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As Messi joins Inter Miami and settles into life in Florida, Mas is committed to ensuring a smooth transition for the soccer icon and his family. With dreams of reshaping US soccer and reaping the rewards, Mas remains optimistic about the journey ahead. Only time will tell if this ambitious venture will propel soccer to new heights in the US, but for now, the anticipation and excitement surrounding Messi's arrival in Miami are palpable.

"I wanted to make sure his landing here was smooth, seamless as possible," Mas said. "And I think so far, so good."