Jorge Mas, Inter Miami CF

Years of behind-the-scenes legwork by Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas paid off in 2023 when the world’s most prolific sports star, Lionel Messi, agreed to take his talents to South Beach through at least the 2025 MLS season. With Messi on board, Mas and Inter Miami have redefined what is possible for an MLS club.

With the help of the league and its corporate partners, Mas sold Messi on the game-changing opportunities available to him in the U.S. Spurning the Saudi Pro League’s $400 million-a-year offer and overtures from Barcelona, Messi agreed to a contract with Inter Miami worth between $50 million and $60 million a year, which includes his salary, signing bonuses and equity in the club. Under a side deal with Apple, Messi also receives a cut of international subscription revenue for the MLS Season Pass streaming service.

Inter Miami immediately capitalized on Messi’s arrival last July, winning the inaugural Leagues Cup — the franchise’s first trophy — and more than doubling total revenue in 2023 to $125 million. The club is forecasting more than $200 million in revenue this year, thanks in part to new lucrative sponsorship deals with global brands such as Royal Caribbean, Chase and the Switzerland-based Fracht Group, and an unprecedented preseason tour to South America, the Middle East and East Asia.

The club also broke ground in August on Miami Freedom Park, a 131-acre development featuring a 25,000-seat soccer stadium. Lemartec, a subsidiary of Mas’ construction company MasTec, is the contractor on the project.