Explained: How Lionel Messi has Inter Miami exploiting lucrative loophole that puts them ‘above what a professional club has ever won’

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner made his way to the United States in the summer of 2023 after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain. David Beckham and Co were able to lure him to Florida, with there obvious benefits to be found in that deal.

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Messi has generated huge turnover for the Herons, as merchandise and tickets are shifted at record-breaking rates, and the team’s general director has told the EFE news agency of how the Argentine is posting historic numbers. Xavier Asensi said: “With the arrival of Messi, we have gone from having a budget of earning just over 60 million to ending up billing around 125 or 130. This year I hope we will start billing around 200 million dollars, or more.”

Messi is allowing Inter Miami to maximise all revenue streams, including pre-season tours. Tata Martino’s side headed to Saudi Arabia and the Far East ahead of the 2024 campaign, with the MLS calendar and presence of an all-time great playing into their hands. Asensi added: “Whatever Inter Miami can earn on a preseason tour, it is above what a professional football club has ever won. There are several factors, such as the fact that the big European clubs can do their tours at the same time, which is in the summer. We can do them when no one at that level can do them, which is in January or February. With Leo, obviously we try to pull behind him in this sense and adapt the structure so that this can happen, but 80 percent of zero is zero. If Messi were not there, what we are talking about would not exist.”

Inter Miami continue to benefit from having Messi around on and off the field, with the interest that they are generating around the world seeing their value and profile soar. They are giving an ever-growing fan base plenty to shout about, with Messi’s stunning form of late seeing him generate MVP buzz in an ongoing bid to savour MLS Cup glory.