MLS
Could Luis Suárez have a similar financial impact on Inter Miami as Lionel Messi?
David Beckham’s Herons look likely to sign the Uruguayan striker from Brazilian side Grêmio for the 2024 MLS season.
Since Luis Suárez made the move to Brazil, Grêmio have seen a huge boom in terms of revenue, much in the way as Inter Miami have with Lionel Messi. With the Uruguayan striker’s signing imminent, it looks as if The Herons will benefit on and off the field from having both players on their roster in 2024, with bosses hoping their presence will increase the value of the club to over $1.5 billion in the next five years.
How has signing Suárez affected Grêmio?
According to Grêmio’s marketing department, “Suárezmania” has seen the Brazilian team make more than $2 million in shirt sales and other merchandise since he joined last December, accounting for almost a third of their total revenue for the season.
Fans can buy over 40 items from the club shop which bear the striker’s name, number and/or trademark celebration, while Grêmio reported selling 30,000 replica jerseys this year (up to 1 November).
The Porto Alegre-based club have also seen a huge increase in membership, with 50,000 extra members joining in the last 12 months, taking the total figure to 113,000, one of the highest among teams in Brazil. Before Suárez’s arrival, which was only financially viable with the help of several sponsors, Grêmio made under $1 million from membership subscriptions, which has now jumped to almost $2 million.
Inter Miami looking to ride the Suárez wave
Inter Miami have, of course, become one of the MLS’ most impressive operators in terms of marketing. Messi’s move to Florida is a watershed moment when it comes to soccer in the United States, with the Argentine signing the biggest sports contract in the country’s history. However, it was also only possible thanks to the involvement of a number of brands (including Apple TV, Adidas and MLS itself), who have already earned back what they put in and, in some cases, made a profit.
The “Messi effect” on The Herons
In some ways, Herons co-owner David Beckham has attempted to emulate Real Madrid’s ‘Galácticos’ signing policy in Florentino Pérez’s first spell as president in the early 2000s. Although the Floridians have so far been unable to entice talented younger players from Europe, they have been able to recruit some of the continent’s most decorated veterans, with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba joining former Barcelona teammate Messi in Fort Lauderdale.
Like what happened in Madrid, Inter Miami’s moves in the transfer market have been a financial success, with all of their fixtures sold out both home and away since the Argentina captain’s arrival.
Before the ex-Barça trio moved to Miami in the summer, the club was valued at just over $600 million. Less than six months later, Beckham’s fellow co-owner Jorge Mas revealed in an interview that their objective was for that figure to increase to $1.5 billion in the next five years.
The signing of Suárez, still one of the most recognisable strikers in world soccer, will play a big part in continuing the growth of one of the Americas most ambitious clubs.