Miami is feeling the Messi fever ahead of the superstar's MLS debut

Messi arrives in Miami during the midway transfer portal of the current season, meaning he is signed for two and a half years. With an expected annual salary of at least $50 million, this puts Messi’s expected total earnings somewhere between $120 and $150 million.

For ownership, this is a bargain deal. According to Jorge Mas, the club’s majority owner, the signing could double the team’s revenue in the next 12 months.

In fact, Mas estimates the team’s valuation could surge as high as $1.5 billion as soon as next year. Forbes estimated Inter-Miami’s value at $600 million in February, ranking it the 11th most valuable side in the MLS.

And Mas’s predictions seem to be coming true. Tickets for Inter Miami’s first game since Messi’s official signing, scheduled for this Friday (July 21) against the Mexican side Cruz Azul, are commanding three-digit prices on ticketing platforms and are reportedly reselling for as much as $110,000. Messi’s appearance on the pitch, however, is not guaranteed.

Success in the MLS would merely be a cherry on top of Messi’s career, with the striker winning three Champions League titles, earning seven Ballon d’Or trophies—the most of any footballer ever—and becoming the first player to six European Golden Shoes.

However, according to Messi, none of these accolades compare to his performance at last year’s World Cup, when Messi led the Argentine side to victory after failing to win in four previous tournaments. During the tournament he scored 11 goals and 8 assists, the most goal involvements in a World Cup since 1966.

Now, after his monumental win on the world’s stage, Messi arrives in Miami as the most famous man in soccer, ready to enjoy the last few years of his career playing by the beach.

Messi, a generational offensive talent and methodical scorer, is joining a squad that could use all the help it can get. Inter Miami is currently dead last in the MLS Eastern conference and has shown an inability to score for most of the season. In fact, the team has won just two matches in the last two months.

The team’s current best player is arguably Josef Martinez, a 30-year-old Venuzuelan striker who Miami signed earlier this year. He has played in the MLS since 2017 and won the League MVP and MLS Cub Final MVP awards in 2018 while playing for Atlanta United. However, many argue his best days are behind him, with Martinez only scoring 6 goals in 20 appearances this year.

While it is clear Messi will bring money, fans, and international attention to the club, it remains to be seen if the soccer legend will be able to turn Miami’s season around.

Messi—a native of Rosario, Argentina—is arriving in an American city with strong ties to Latin America. The population of the beachside metropolis is over 70% Hispanic and Latino, with over 52,000 Argentine emigres. In fact, Miami’s owner Mas gave a speech introducing Messi in both English and Spanish.

The soccer star chose Miami over a far more lucrative offer from a little-known club in Saudi Arabia, Al Hilal SFC, citing its lifestyle options and quality of life. And, after signing with the club, Messi has been spotted enjoying the very best Miami has to offer, including a meal at Miami Beach and a family trip to the local Publix grocery store.

In recent years, Miami has become a magnet for veteran sports superstars like Tom Brady and Jimmy Butler, strong of its warm climate, exciting nightlife, and lack of any state income tax.

Messi’s arrival in Miami is about more than just one city. His decision to sign with the MLS squad will likely change American soccer forever. Sure, soccer greats like David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, and even Pele have joined American teams in the past. But no one of Messi’s stature, less than a year removed from winning the World Cup, has ever played for an MLS team before.

Don Garber, the MLS commissioner, called Messi the greatest soccer player of all time at a press conference on Monday (July 17), telling reporters that his arrival is a “special moment to capitalize on,” adding that the league would do “everything to ensure that we’re providing our fans, our partners, particularly our media partners, all the tools to be able to capture the moment.”

The timing of Messi’s arrival also coincides with the US carving out a larger role in international play. The US is set to host the Copa America in 2024 and the World Cup in 2026—the latter alongside Canada and Mexico.