When Sir David Beckham selected Miami as the home for his Major League Soccer team in 2013, few could have envisioned the subsequent trajectory.
After securing the US franchise for a reduced £15.6m from MLS – a component of his player contract when he joined LA Galaxy in 2007 – the former England captain officially established the club in 2018, with their MLS debut following in March 2020.
Now, having acquired the services of Lionel Messi, widely considered the world’s best player, in 2023, Inter Miami celebrated clinching the league’s top honor after defeating Thomas Muller’s Vancouver Whitecaps in Saturday’s MLS Cup final.
“All the emotion came out in the final few moments of the game,” Beckham stated.
“There was a lot of sleepless nights but I always believed in Miami.
“I found the right partners and knew anything was possible. It says Freedom to Dream on our shirts and we promised our fans we would deliver.
“Next year is a new year but tonight we celebrate.”
This triumph marks an exponential rise for ‘Project Beckham,’ both competitively and commercially, with Miami sparking a significant surge in soccer interest across the United States.
Chief business officer Xavi Asensi described Beckham’s role as co-owner as “amazing.”
“Without David Beckham none of us would be sitting here. Everything ended up being possible,” he said. “There aren’t names as global as David Beckham and Leo Messi – they are combined here.”
Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami from Paris St-Germain in 2023
Asensi, 43, joined Inter Miami in April 2021 after a decade with Barcelona, where he held the position of chief commercial officer and served on the club’s executive board.
“When we arrived here in 2020-21 with owners Jorge Mas, [his brother] Jose Mas and David Beckham in charge, the main goal was to win on the pitch,” he said.
“I would say Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time, subjectively and objectively. So obviously having the best player possible in your roster is a no-brainer.
“This is what we’ve been trying to do from the very beginning. Not just bring in big-name players, but bring in the best players possible so the team on the pitch is something we can be proud of – and one that wins.”
Ex-England midfielder David Beckham is a co-owner at Inter Miami
On 7 June 2023, following weeks of speculation, Inter Miami announced the signing of Messi, culminating a five-year pursuit.
The Argentina star, born in Rosario, opted for the challenge of Miami and MLS after two seasons with Paris St-Germain, where he secured two Ligue 1 titles and a Super Cup.
Beckham was in Japan as the deal concluded, waking at 5 a.m. to a deluge of notifications. His wife, Victoria, urged him to turn off his phone, but he checked it, saw the news, and burst into tears.
“Overnight we went from being an MLS club to a club that I would say everybody knew,” Asensi recalls.
“Every outlet in the world, everyone talked about it. Crazy. From Fiji to Anchorage, Patagonia to Mongolia, it put Inter Miami into the big time.”
In Miami, Messi reunited with former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and later Luis Suarez, as well as coach Gerardo Martino, who had managed him at Barcelona and with Argentina.
He later extended his deal to remain at Inter Miami until December 2028. Reports indicate he earns between £37m and £45m from the club, with Adidas supplementing his income through shirt sales and Apple providing a share of MLS Season Pass subscription revenue.
Asensi explains: “We’re talking about the number one sport in the world, and the US economically is the number one country in the world.
“It’s the biggest market, and the king of sports entertainment. So it’s a bit strange that its professional league in the world’s biggest sport isn’t at that level, or that the national team isn’t competing.”
Supporters have come in droves to watch Messi play in the MLS
MLS suddenly entered the global soccer conversation, with Inter Miami games consistently selling out.
The club’s social media presence surged from approximately two million to its current 50 million.
Average MLS attendance increased by about 20% following Messi’s debut, and global streaming doubled during his first 10 matches.
More importantly, the league transitioned from a minor curiosity to an essential component of daily sports coverage. Americans were finally taking their soccer seriously.
With a dynamic pricing system in place, ticket prices escalated. Pre-Messi prices were around £40, whereas today they range from £150 to £200 to see Miami in action.
Teams hosting Inter Miami and Messi often changed their home venues to accommodate the heightened demand.
On 19 April, Columbus Crew relocated their home fixture against Inter Miami from their Lower.com Field Stadium in Columbus (capacity 20,371) to Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland (capacity 60,614), home of the Cleveland Browns NFL team, located 150 miles north of Columbus.
It was a sellout, marking a single-game attendance record for a Crew home match and the largest non-NFL event in the stadium’s history.
Annual club revenue grew from £41m in 2022 to £160m in 2024.
The ‘Messi effect’ propelled the league to a record attendance of more than 11.4 million fans in 2023-24.
His debut helped generate 300,000 new MLS Season Pass subscribers on Apple TV, doubling its base. Messi’s number 10 jersey was the league’s top seller, and merchandise sales grew by 41%.
The impact extended to other clubs, generating an additional £63m in ticket sales by hosting Inter Miami. Furthermore, the average ticket price increased by 1,700%, with gate receipts reaching £198m.
Asensi explains: “Leo is going to be irreplaceable. There will be nobody that will be able to fill those shoes. We are trying to build that legacy to be a magnet for other good players to come.”
Other initiatives to attract and develop emerging players are also in place, such as the Dreams Cup – a platform for young talent alongside the Inter Miami foundation to support youth football.
Kim Kardashian attended an Inter Miami game in July 2023
A constant stream of sporting icons, pop celebrities, and global influencers has positioned Inter Miami as both a cultural and sporting brand, transforming the club into a nexus for prominent figures beyond the realm of soccer.
Will Smith might be seen alongside Floyd Mayweather, Tom Brady or Aryna Sabalenka; Lionel Richie – whom Messi was named after – could be chatting with LeBron James, Kim Kardashian or Eva Longoria, while Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos might be reminiscing about old glories with Serena Williams.
Beckham quickly recognized the prevalence of the color pink within Miami’s visual identity, from Art Deco architecture and neon signage to flamingos and pastel coastlines.
Despite initial resistance, he advocated for pink to be Inter Miami’s defining color – and ultimately prevailed.
Beckham helped create a brand that feels ‘Miami’. The fully pink identity makes the club instantly recognisable.
Until recently, Inter Miami had won two titles – the 2023 Leagues Cup and the 2024 Supporters’ Shield, progressing from last place to champions in a single year.
Prior to Saturday’s MLS Cup triumph, their most significant achievement to date was thrashing New York City 5-1 in the Eastern Conference play-off final last weekend, which set up the MLS Cup final against the Whitecaps.
Miami’s new stadium, Miami Freedom Park, is still under construction
With their new stadium nearing completion, Inter Miami will play most of the 2026 MLS campaign at Miami Freedom Park.
Since joining MLS in 2020, the club have played at the 21,500-seat Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. They will start next season with five away games to allow construction to be finished.
With the new stadium, the rise of the club could reach stratospheric figures: Asensi says that from having a budget of £160m ($215m) this season, “we are hoping to go above a quarter of a billion dollars” in income in the next few years.
“All in all, I would say that it’s a miracle,” says Asensi. “It’s a wonderful miracle – it is daring and a dream. From ownership to everyone that is here in the club, we are really blessed to be part of it.
“We are five years old, we are creating history, we are living history as we are speaking. So having Lionel playing and being our captain changed us completely.”
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