Messi to Inter Miami: Why Messi’s Millions May Not Be As Much As You Thought
The multi-million-dollar deal to take footballing great Lionel Messi to the States may not be as big as many think, according to a former right-hand man to David Beckham who ushered in the last big deal in Major League Soccer back in 2007.
What will Messi’s Miami Salary be?
The highly sought-after footballer – who was earning $45 million a year at Paris Saint-Germain – could earn between $125 and $150 million over the next two-and-a-half years by signing for Inter Miami CF in Florida. Reports say this is a complex deal of Messi’s salary, bonuses and equity, backed by major sponsors Apple and Adidas, in a bid to comply with strict salary caps in the MLS.
“First of all, I don’t believe the accuracy of figures bandied around like that. I remember that when we did the David [Beckham] deal that the real numbers were never really out in the public domain. So, I suspect it’s a lot lower figure, but none the less it is a significant deal,” says Terry Byrne, the founder of Round World Group talent management who worked with Beckham in the years he played for Real Madrid days and when he shook US football by signing for LA Galaxy in 2007.
What does Messi’s transfer mean for Inter Miami?
Byrne reckons that the club will try to recoup the investment with worldwide shirt sales – you will soon see Inter Miami CF shirts being worn from Brazil to Japan – TV rights advertising and shirt sponsorship.
“You will get a bidding process for shirt sponsorship, but the way the MLS is structured they share the shirt sponsorship in the States – it is shared between the league and the clubs. The league owners have the right to share certain revenue streams evenly amongst all clubs. It is another way of trying to keep parity as there is no relegation or promotion in the MLS so they try to share the income as fairly and across the board as they can.”
Just as well for Messi, there is no relegation – Inter Miami CF lie bottom of the eastern conference of the MLS. At the very least, he won’t be fighting the drop when he steps onto the pitch probably at the end of July to justify his huge price tag.
“As long as he stays fit. The rest of the team will have to adapt to how he plays. People at LA Galaxy – when David first came – found some things difficult when you are adding professionalism and trying to improve the set-up. I think Lionel Messi will come in with his own ideas to benefit all the players,” says Byrne.
The Miami Herald revelled in hyperbole over the arrival of Messi to sunny Florida. The newspaper likens it to winning the lottery and finding the Holy Grail.
Despite the hype, Messi can’t win games on his own for his new, struggling, team. According to one of Britain’s leading voices on the business of football, Kieran Maguire, of Liverpool University, Messi will pass and dribble against the clock.
Kieran Maguire of Liverpool University and author of The Price of Football
What is Messi Worth to Miami?
“There will be an initial novelty factor in relation to Lionel Messi and the MLS, whether this can be maintained is uncertain. He will certainly shift tickets in his first season, but if Inter Miami make little progress in winning matches there is a danger of the appeal tailing off quickly. Certainly, sponsors will be keen to have his image alongside their products, but celebrity sporting endorsements are a crowded market,” says Maguire.
The US football authorities hope the big-name transfer will draw more interest in their game to help it compete with the talent in baseball and the iconic status of basketball. But, according to Byrne, there is unlikely to be a stream of stars following 35-year-old Messi to the MLS.
“Unfortunately the US soccer fans I used to speak to hated the idea that people would go there at the end of their career, but I think that is the harsh reality of the level that the sport is at there and you’re never going to attract the best 23-year-olds in the world playing the Premiership or Italy or France or Spain,” says Byrne.
Yet Lionel Messi to Inter Miami shows the moneybags that world football is maybe changing the game as fast as a counterattack from the little genius himself.
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Messi to Inter Miami: Why Messi’s Millions May Not Be As Much As You Thought
The multi-million-dollar deal to take footballing great Lionel Messi to the States may not be as big as many think, according to a former right-hand man to David Beckham who ushered in the last big deal in Major League Soccer back in 2007.
What will Messi’s Miami Salary be?
The highly sought-after footballer – who was earning $45 million a year at Paris Saint-Germain – could earn between $125 and $150 million over the next two-and-a-half years by signing for Inter Miami CF in Florida. Reports say this is a complex deal of Messi’s salary, bonuses and equity, backed by major sponsors Apple and Adidas, in a bid to comply with strict salary caps in the MLS.
“First of all, I don’t believe the accuracy of figures bandied around like that. I remember that when we did the David [Beckham] deal that the real numbers were never really out in the public domain. So, I suspect it’s a lot lower figure, but none the less it is a significant deal,” says Terry Byrne, the founder of Round World Group talent management who worked with Beckham in the years he played for Real Madrid days and when he shook US football by signing for LA Galaxy in 2007.
What does Messi’s transfer mean for Inter Miami?
Byrne reckons that the club will try to recoup the investment with worldwide shirt sales – you will soon see Inter Miami CF shirts being worn from Brazil to Japan – TV rights advertising and shirt sponsorship.
“You will get a bidding process for shirt sponsorship, but the way the MLS is structured they share the shirt sponsorship in the States – it is shared between the league and the clubs. The league owners have the right to share certain revenue streams evenly amongst all clubs. It is another way of trying to keep parity as there is no relegation or promotion in the MLS so they try to share the income as fairly and across the board as they can.”
Just as well for Messi, there is no relegation – Inter Miami CF lie bottom of the eastern conference of the MLS. At the very least, he won’t be fighting the drop when he steps onto the pitch probably at the end of July to justify his huge price tag.
“As long as he stays fit. The rest of the team will have to adapt to how he plays. People at LA Galaxy – when David first came – found some things difficult when you are adding professionalism and trying to improve the set-up. I think Lionel Messi will come in with his own ideas to benefit all the players,” says Byrne.
The Miami Herald revelled in hyperbole over the arrival of Messi to sunny Florida. The newspaper likens it to winning the lottery and finding the Holy Grail.
Despite the hype, Messi can’t win games on his own for his new, struggling, team. According to one of Britain’s leading voices on the business of football, Kieran Maguire, of Liverpool University, Messi will pass and dribble against the clock.
What is Messi Worth to Miami?
“There will be an initial novelty factor in relation to Lionel Messi and the MLS, whether this can be maintained is uncertain. He will certainly shift tickets in his first season, but if Inter Miami make little progress in winning matches there is a danger of the appeal tailing off quickly. Certainly, sponsors will be keen to have his image alongside their products, but celebrity sporting endorsements are a crowded market,” says Maguire.
The US football authorities hope the big-name transfer will draw more interest in their game to help it compete with the talent in baseball and the iconic status of basketball. But, according to Byrne, there is unlikely to be a stream of stars following 35-year-old Messi to the MLS.
“Unfortunately the US soccer fans I used to speak to hated the idea that people would go there at the end of their career, but I think that is the harsh reality of the level that the sport is at there and you’re never going to attract the best 23-year-olds in the world playing the Premiership or Italy or France or Spain,” says Byrne.
Yet Lionel Messi to Inter Miami shows the moneybags that world football is maybe changing the game as fast as a counterattack from the little genius himself.
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