To think of Inter Miami is to think of Lionel Messi, but behind him there is a man who works in the shadows and is arguably more important than the FIFA World Cup winner. Xavier Asensi is the general manager of the club with the biggest economic and media growth in 2023 and this year he expects to turn over at least $200 million.
This exponential growth in economic figures is due, in part, to agreements with large international companies that have linked their image with that of Inter Miami and Messi, who is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time. The latest has been with international giant Visa.
Lionel Messi and Antonela Rocuzzo dress up as factory employees to visit a new sponsor
“With the arrival of Messi, we have gone from having budgeted just over 60 million to end up billing around 125 or 130 million dollars,” Asensi told EFE. “That’s a huge amount for a temporary stadium.
“We are very happy with this sponsorship. It is a matter not only of quantity but also of quality. We are looking for those ‘partners’ that take us to another level and there are also obviously Royal Caribbean and JP Morgan Chase.”
How has Messi changed the MLS?
Messi joined David Beckham‘s MLS side in the middle of 2023 after confirming his exit from PSG and European soccer, becoming the biggest coup in the history of the league and arguably all of American sports.
By penning his name to Inter Miami, Messi transformed the amount of attention on the MLS and his new club overnight as fans, brands and millions of people began to watch the league with intense focus to see how the Argentinian would perform.
“Leo takes you to another level,” Asensi added. “But then also the levels of demand you ask of the partners are different.
“We are very happy with the way we are, very proud of the team and all the work that is being done. We just have to keep improving.”
Asensi added, “That’s exactly right. I spent 11 years at Barca, I was the chief commercial officer there. What Inter Miami can earn on a pre-season tour is more than any professional soccer club has ever earned.”