The Most Valuable Teams in Major League Soccer for 2024.
Hundreds of enthusiastic supporters greeted Inter Miami’s convoy of pink buses as it arrived in El Salvador in January for its first preseason game of 2024. They pushed past one another to get a glimpse of Lionel Messi, who is arguably the most well-known athlete on the planet. Eight months ago, Inter Miami, one of Major League Soccer’s more recent additions, was a last-place team with little international recognition outside of its minority co-owner, David Beckham. Eight months ago, such an emotional welcome in a foreign land would have been unthinkable. But when Messi declared in June that South Florida would be his next soccer home, everything changed, permanently changing the course of the franchise.
“A club, an institution, is always bigger than an individual because an individual is part of the story,” says Xavier Asensi, chief business officer of Inter Miami. Asensi ran FC Barcelona’s commercial operations for more than ten years prior. “This is because of the European mentality.” “Messi is important to FC Barcelona’s narrative. At Inter Miami, the player transcends the club—rather, the player is bigger than the league.
His influence was felt right away. Messi led Inter Miami to its first-ever trophy at the first Leagues Cup, a month after his arrival, with a thrilling penalty shootout victory. The team’s business operations were greatly boosted off the field by the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, as evidenced by the revenue more than doubling to $118 million in 2023 from $56 million in 2022. The quick turn of events has increased the club’s gratitude. With a 72% increase from a year ago, Inter Miami is now the second-most valuable MLS team, according to Forbes, valued at $1.03 billion. The team is the second in league history to reach a billion-dollar valuation, trailing only LAFC, which accomplished the feat in 2023 and is currently the most valuable team in Major League Soccer with a $1.2 billion valuation.
