 "Inter Miami's Lionel Messi (left), Marcelo Weigandt and Jordi Alba celebrate during the club's pre-season fixture against Club America in Las Vegas. Reuters")
Lionel Messi’s presence continues to boost Inter Miami’s brand value with the Fort Lauderdale-based club currently among the most valued teams in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top men’s football league in the United States of America.
A year-and-a-half after signing the Argentine superstar on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Inter Miami find themselves ranked second in Sportico’s 2025 MLS Franchise Valuation Rankings from third last year, losing the top spot to Los Angeles FC.
LAFC, the club that is represented by French stars Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud among others and had topped the Western Conference table last year, remained at the top of the ladder after an 11 per cent rise in their valuation, which currently stands at $1,28 billion. It was enough for them to beat the ‘Herons’ to the top spot despite their 17 per cent growth from $1.02 billion to $1.19 billion.
Only New York City FC experienced a bigger growth than Inter Miami and LAFC, with a 19 per cent jump in their valuation last year.
Messi’s arrival in 2023 has transformed the fortunes of Inter Miami – the club that is co-owned by England and Manchester United legend David Beckham. A month after the Barcelona legend’s arrival in July 2023, Inter Miami would win their first trophy after defeating Nashville SC in the final of the Leagues Cup .
Inter Miami, however, would establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with the following year by topping the MLS Eastern Conference standings at the end of the regular season with 74 points, beating Western Conference winners Los Angeles FC by 10 points to win the MLS Supporters Shield .
Miami had entered the 2024 MLS playoffs as one of the favourites, only to suffer a shock loss at the hands of Atlanta United FC in Round One.
Iconic forward Messi, who helped Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, was later named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2024 MLS season .
Inter Miami are currently playing a series of pre-season fixtures and have hired Messi’s former Argentina and Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano as their new coach after parting ways with Tata Martino, who had also managed Argentina and Barca in the past.