Explained: Why Lionel Messi, MLS, Apple & adidas have set new transfer trend at Inter Miami that may soon hit Europe in the Premier League, La Liga & beyond

Inter Miami pulled off a stunning coup in the summer of 2023 when luring eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi to the United States. The Argentine icon was a free agent, having reached the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, but big money was still required in order to put a deal in place.

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David Beckham and the Miami board collaborated with MLS, Apple and adidas in order to make a move possible, with commercial partners and domestic rivals aware that Messi’s presence in America would benefit all concerned.

It may be that European outfits follow suit in the not too distant future, with partnerships between teams and brands allowing more marquee signings to be completed. Premier League co-creator and former super agent Jon Smith has told CaughtOffside: “Adidas and Apple helped MLS and Inter Miami to sign Lionel Messi, and I think we’ve just got to have a look at the music business as an example of whether the same can happen in Europe. The major corporations now cross pollinate all the major acts. Sponsorships are very often IT led so that there is a visual download activity around not just ticketing, but the actual sponsorship in the event itself. Football is going to go the same way because football is the biggest followed sport in the world. The biggest players are now nations, which means that the major corporations will join in that support. It’s bound to happen.”

Smith does not see an issue with corporate partners becoming involved in transfer deals, adding: “As long as the rights owners, which are the clubs and the leagues, have the ability to dictate the circumstances, rather than the brands and the countries telling people how to play their game and how to influence what happens on the pitch, there isn’t going to be a problem. The big fear for I guess all of us who don’t like domination in our life, is that the people with the big money, which are the huge hedge funds, the countries and the major brands, will be able to effectively run the planet in 20 years because they’ll have the IT behind them. They’ll have the data that they’re absorbing and they’ll have the ability to dictate what you think and what you should do. All of that is a society problem but football, as we’ve said before in this column, reflects society.”

MLS continues to reap the rewards of having Messi on board, as he pulls in audiences from every corner of the planet, and he is tied to a contract in Florida through to the end of the 2025 season – with there a 12-month extension option in those terms that could be triggered for 2026.