Opinion: Messi to Inter Miami extension of Beckham's MLS legacy
The seeds of this deal date back to 2007 when the English star signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy
In the end, Lionel Messi has chosen the sun-drenched beaches of Miami over the hot desert of Saudi Arabia.
The soccer world was abuzz Wednesday after it was revealed that Messi, arguably the greatest player in soccer history, would sign with Inter Miami and make his debut for the MLS side this summer.
Messi’s imminent move to Inter Miami marks the most significant signing in American soccer since David Beckham donned a Los Angeles Galaxy jersey 16 years ago. At the same time, Messi follows in the footsteps of legendary players who have chosen to play club soccer on American soil, highlighted by Pele’s time with the New York Cosmos in the 1970s.
Messi will not only sell lots of jerseys and elevate Inter Miami’s status from middling club (the team is currently last in the Eastern Conference after recently firing manager Phil Neville) to one of the biggest draws in the world, but will help place a spotlight on MLS and American soccer. That’s a great thing for a game always fighting for attention in a very saturated, and often fragmented, sports market.
Inter Miami had been courting the Argentine for years. The team ultimately won the Messi sweepstakes — over cash-strapped Barcelona and oil-rich Saudi Pro League — thanks to the league’s relationship with Apple+ and Adidas.
But it’s Beckham who should also get a large share of the credit here. Not just for what he’s done in the boardroom to help make the Messi deal possible, but for deciding to play in MLS in the first place.
The seeds of this Messi deal were sown back in 2007. This was the genius of bringing Beckham to MLS that summer. It wasn’t just for short-term gain, but the aim of helping build a legacy that would pay off decades into the future.
At the time, part of the Beckham deal was to give the English star a stake in a future MLS franchise. That team turned out to be Inter Miami. With Beckham as a co-owner, the team has not had the on-field results one would have hoped since joining the league in 2020.
Off the field, the Messi signing is a coup for MLS. That is especially the case given the money the Saudis were willing to throw at the Argentine (reportedly $400 million a year by Al-Hilal for his services) after successfully signing this era’s other superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in January. It’s even a bigger deal since the Messi announcement comes days after Real Madrid and France star Karim Benzema opted to play in Saudi Arabia.
“Without doubt, MLS has more global awareness than at any other time in our history and has more legitimacy in the United States because of David,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber told The New York Times in 2007. “Every measure of our business has grown because of him. We have sold more than 300,000 Beckham Los Angeles Galaxy jerseys, which was 700 times the number of Galaxy jerseys sold in 2006. Merchandise sales overall have gone up two or three times. International TV sales have gone up from next to nothing to distribution in 100 countries, with live games in Asia and Mexico.”
Messi’s arrival could have a similar impact on a league that continues to be second-choice viewing for many Americans who still prefer to watch the Premier League or Liga MX over MLS. It’s also true that Messi will turn 36 on June 25 — not exactly a player in his prime — but the Argentine proved at the recent World Cup and with Paris Saint-Germain this past season that he’s still got it.
The details of the Messi deal are still being hammered out. The Athletic reported that a deal could include an option to purchase part of an MLS team once Messi retires. That would be great given how impactful it has been having Beckham involved with soccer on this side of the Atlantic.
Messi doesn’t automatically make Inter Miami an MLS Cup contender, but there will be more eyeballs on the league and will make the overall product better.
And that’s a great thing for American soccer.