From: officialflagrant
Lionel Messi made a significant career move by choosing to join Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States, reportedly turning down a billion-dollar offer from the Saudi government [01:10:26]. This decision was seen by some as an “American hero” move [01:10:39].
The Offers: More Than Just Upfront Cash
At this stage of Messi’s career, financial freedom is already achieved, so the decision likely wasn’t solely about the highest immediate payout [01:10:47]. While athletes often validate themselves through the size of their contracts, even if they don’t need the money (a phenomenon also observed with Cristiano Ronaldo accepting a Saudi deal [01:11:02]), Messi’s MLS deal offers a different kind of lucrative package.
American corporations stepped up to match or even surpass the Saudi offer through a unique structure [01:11:39]. This included:
- Apple: Offering Messi a piece of the streaming revenue from MLS, as Apple holds the league’s streaming rights [01:11:46].
- Adidas: Providing Messi a percentage of all shoe sales and MLS jersey sales that bear his name [01:11:53].
Impact and Rationale
The strategic nature of this deal is to leverage Messi’s global appeal to attract new audiences to MLS [01:12:27]. His presence is expected to draw even casual fans, and those “barely even aware of what the sport is,” to attend games and consume league content [01:12:31]. An example cited is a casual football fan expressing interest in seeing a game when Messi plays in New York, despite never having watched an MLS match before [01:12:10].
It’s also speculated that this long-term strategy might allow Messi to eventually purchase a team within the league [01:12:47]. This model, where an athlete receives a percentage of various revenue streams, is likened to the groundbreaking deal Michael Jordan’s mother negotiated with Nike for a cut of shoe sales [01:13:05].