Inter Miami’s revenues to quadruple with Messi
Inter Miami’s revenues could quadruple with the impact of Lionel Messi, further bolstering the Florida-based club.
In this regard, Xavier Asensi, who spent 11 years as an executive at Barça before joining Inter Miami in 2021, explains the reality.
Asensi explains that there’s a model being pursued to replicate and enhance the business of football.
“When I arrived in Miami, I saw that Jorge Mas’s idea was to be the reference for soccer in North America. And, although football is a business, it’s mostly about the players. If what happens on the field is good, the business is bigger.”
In this sense, Asensi maintains that there was no better business than Leo Messi, considered by many as the greatest of all time.
He also estimates that there has been a plan in place to secure Messi for several years. “I’ll give you a fact: if you notice, nobody played with the number 5 or 10 in Miami,” he specified.
However, he clarifies that Messi’s arrival is to achieve victory on the field, with logical financial consequences.
“It’s important to clarify that Messi’s arrival is primarily to win on the field. Obviously, Leo is the most commercially marketable player in the world.
Modric, Ramos, Griezmann, or Busquets might give you a boost, but Leo is a different commercial dimension, he’s not of this world,” he said.
But a definitive statement is that Inter Miami’s revenues could quadruple. “To give you an idea, in 2024, we’ll quadruple Inter’s revenues from before Messi.
There’s a before and after Messi for Miami and for the entire MLS,” he expressed.
Regarding the signing, he stated that certain steps need to be followed, based on an analysis of Inter Miami’s revenues.
“MLS has to be involved because in the United States, players’ contracts are with the MLS, not the club. This was done to prevent non-payment.
It’s the same protective model as closed leagues like the NFL or NBA.
Inter Miami’s revenues: More
That being said, with Messi, we barely had to notify him, as it interested everyone without a doubt,” he clarified.
He emphasized that Uruguayan Luis Suárez is still under consideration, among others.
“As far as I know, Luis is an option to analyze, but there will be others.”
Regarding the new stadium, the Freedom Park Stadium for 2025 will be located next to the airport.
Plans are set to begin construction in October of this year, featuring 30,000 seats, a large entertainment area, and a huge park.
“For now, we’re managing Lionel’s dimension with what we have.
On the other hand, romantically, it’s a luxury to see Leo play there, in an accessible field with only 21,000 spectators.
It adds a magic that a 50,000-seat stadium can’t provide,” he informed.
Regarding Messi’s life, the Inter’s commercial area manager commented that Messi and his family have freedom in the city.
“If anyone is extraordinary, it’s Lionel, but we treat him with complete normality and support him in every way we can.
I talked to him about the viral supermarket image, and Leo told me he was the second one there that day because he forgot to buy some things. Overall, I like to see him happy with his family,” he indicated.
Finally, he added that Inter’s idea with Messi extends to 2023, 2024, and beyond.
While the city enjoys Messi’s magic, Inter Miami’s revenues are skyrocketing.
