'Messi effect': Inter Miami's 2023 revenue likely to exceed $120 million

Apart from bringing unmatched fame to both the club and the Major League Soccer (MLS) league, Argentine star Lionel Messi's signing with Inter Miami has also seemingly resulted in an exponential increase in the financial revenue of the David Beckham-owned team.

Messi, who joined Inter Miami in July this year, has made a significant impact on the team's popularity as well as its success on the pitch as the former Barcelona star, via his impressive 9-goal streak, propelled Inter Miami to the Leagues Cup final — eventually winning the title in a nailbiting penalty shootout against Nashville SC.

However, it seems that Messi's signing has been quite profitable for the club in monetary terms as well with the team being on the path to becoming the league's top-earning side despite not making it to the eliminators.

Inter Miami's total revenue is likely to exceed $120 million, revealed the club's chief business officer Xavier Asensi, frontofficesports reported quoting Sports Business Journal.

Asensi's remarks indicate a significant increase in the club's revenue as 2022 MLS winners LAFC generated $116 million last year.

The official also said that with next year's season tickets already sold out, he expects the club revenue to hit the $200 million mark in 2024.

Asensi's predictions fall in line with the projections made by the team's managing owner Jorge Mas who earlier this year said that the club's revenue was to increase by two-fold by the next year against the previous season's $50 million.