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Leo Messi just changed the sports world forever.
He said no to $1.7 billion.
Instead, he signed one of the greatest sports deals of all time.
Over the weekend, Messi announced he was joining Inter Miami in the American soccer league.
Now, the rumors are he turned down $450 million per year to play in Saudi Arabia.
And the crazy thing is, Inter Miami couldn't even come close to matching the Saudi offer, so they got creative.
In addition to player money, Miami brought three friends to the table: Apple, Adidas, and the MLS.
A few months ago, Apple paid 2.5 billion to own the streaming rights for American soccer.
They decided to offer Messi a share of the streaming revenue, which has never been done before in any sport.
To sweeten the deal, Adidas offered Messi a profit share in all MLS apparel they sell.
This is similar to the deal Michael Jordan signed with Nike that eventually made him a billionaire.
Messi also gets the option to buy a percentage of an MLS team when he's done playing.
So he's getting salary, plus streaming, plus apparel, plus future team ownership.
Now, who wins most on the deal?
Everyone.
Messi gets uncapped upside as a player, something that's almost never offered in sports.
Apple streaming and Adidas apparel revenues are going to skyrocket.
The American soccer league now has the greatest player in the world as its face.
And for Inter Miami, the average ticket price jumped from $80 to 420 the minute the news was announced.
But after all that, here's the most interesting part to me: if you're LeBron, Steph Curry, Pat Mahomes, Mike Trout, Sidney Crosby, or any star player in any other league, do you have a case to demand something similar?
Leo Messi just changed the business of sports forever.
He was reportedly offered up to $1.7B to play in Saudi Arabia.
He said no.
Instead, he signed with Inter Miami (MLS) in one of the greatest sports deals of all time.
In addition to salary, Messi is being offered:
1. A share of MLS League Pass streaming revenue (from Apple)
2. A share of all MLS apparel profits (from Adidas)
3. The right to an ownership stake in an MLS team after he’s done playing (from the MLS)
My big takeaway is that this could change the way all sports leagues operate.
Will other stars demand ownership and uncapped upside in their respective leagues?
#sports #messi #ronaldo #leomessi #lionelmessi #intermiami #mls #mlssoccer #soccer #sportsbusiness #apple #appletv #adidas #futbol
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