Why Lionel Messi Decided to Come Play in America
The reasoning behind the decision to join Inter Miami in the MLS
In shocking news, Lionel Messi, the GOAT of soccer, has decided to sign with Inter Miami, a team in the MLS. After playing in Europe for his whole career, whether it was on FC Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain, this move to America seems very perplexing.
According to outside sources, Messi’s former team, FC Barcelona, apparently offered the player north of 25 million euros per year. Additionally, the Saudi Arabian League, which recently signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, also offered Messi a supermax deal worth around $500 million. With all of these options available, many are left wondering:
Why did Lionel Messi sign to Inter Miami?
In an interview with Sport and Mundo Deportivo, Messi had this to say about why he chose Inter Miami over Saudi Arabia and Barcelona:
“If it had been a matter of money, I’d have gone to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. It seemed like a lot of money to me. The truth is that my final decision goes elsewhere and not because of money” — Lionel Messi
While this may be partly true, money was definitely a heavy factor in Messi’s decision. He will make approximately $125–150 million in the MLS, which is by far the biggest contract in MLS history.
This contract offered by the MLS is only a quarter of what Saudi Arabia offered, signifying that there must be more that enticed Messi to come to play in America. To find the real answer, we have to dig deeper than just looking at Messi’s signed contract with the team.
If you remember, a similar move was also made by another soccer superstar. David Beckham signed with the LA Galaxy and after finishing his contract with given the option to buy his very own MLS team for a reduced price of $25 million. The team that Beckham bought in late January 2018 is Inter Miami.
From this, we can likely assume that Lionel Messi was offered a similar deal to that of Beckham. The opportunity to buy your own team in an increasingly popular league is a once-in-a-lifetime chance that one should not pass up, and Messi likely recognized this.
But wait, the deal doesn’t just stop at being able to buy his own MLS team. In the past year, Apple and the MLS signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion contract. In order to revitalize the league and make their investment worthwhile, Apple saw the chance to acquire the greatest soccer asset ever and took their shot.
In cooperation with Adidas, another sponsor of the MLS, Apple offered Messi part of the money that will be received from his jersey sales and other memorabilia. To put this into perspective, Messi earned PSG around 310 million euros just from jersey sales alone. If we were to earn even 10% of his own MLS sales, it’s likely Messi will earn an extra $50–100 million every year if we include every type of sports merchandise.
However, the decision to sign with Inter Miami is more than just about money. Joan Laporta, President of FC Barcelona, respected his former player’s decision stating that the move was caused by, “Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years.”
Additionally, Miami is one of the best cities in the world to live in for a millionaire, with its illustrious weather and lack of income tax. This move gives Messi the chance to be an American sports icon, just as he is in Argentina, and spark the soccer movement in the U.S.
These are the reasons why Lionel Messi decided to come to play for Inter Miami in the MLS. Let me know your opinions on this humongous decision in the comments.
