MLS is to keep Lionel Messi happy: But what does the league get in return?

When Lionel Messenger signed to join MLS, his contract was included in a condition to receive a share of revenue from Apple TV.

Since May, Messi’s relationship with MLS also included a care agreement that made his new sports drink, MAS+ from Messi, The official moisturizing partner in the league.

Now it seems that the MLS is ready to allow MIAMI to add a historically stacked list by signing another close friend, Rodrigo de Paul – occupies the league spending rules by structuring the deal as a loan from Atléico Madrid with a purchase option.

After all, we are still waiting for Messi to sign a Extending the long -awaited contract to stay in Miami After 2025. Those who have questions about this will not be able to ask him any time soon, because it will not be among the 12 MLS players available to reporters on Monday’s Media Day at all-strark 2025.

Perhaps this is not the worst news in the world for journalists who are interested in telling interesting stories. Messi’s soccer skills are unusual, but he is almost talented in the long hobby of athletes of boring interviews.

But for those who were hoping that Messi’s relationship with MLS actually be transformative, it is just another development of the knife: check that the agreement between the balloon winner and the eighth winner and the 30 -year -old unilaterally unilaterally.

It may be understood to try to keep the biggest star playing in your competitors happy. It is also understood that we start asking about how to do this – and when – thus to real changes.

Messi was supposed to be a surprising moment, one that would make MLS a more attractive destination for more younger stars.

There is only a sign of this in the embodiment of the other 29 league clubs.

According to Kevin de Bruyne and Antoine Griezmann, he rejected the United States despite great interest. Olivier Jeroud and LAFC chose to terminate his contract with mutual consent, which allowed France with a top scorer with a return to their homes after a year of struggles. Cristiano Ronaldo took more Saudi money after all, despite a short window when the MLS moves reasonable.

Messi was supposed to be a way to transfer more informal fans to MLS stadiums and screens.

At the box office, the first noise of Messi MLS helped to get an average number of the normal season from 23234 in 2024. But so far, 2025 is formed like slope to the middle.

In the world of television and live broadcast, Messi’s arrival clearly raised an initial increase in MLS Season Pass on Apple TV subscriptions. But it is difficult to determine the long -term effect, as Apple continues to provide a little in the way of concrete scenes data.

And whether it was realistic or not, Messi came to America with the expectation that MLS would have what the Pele would have been in favor of NASL before a generation.

Those who followed the Argentine until they know remotely it was a false hope.

Messi has always been a soft, soft personality-a person who accepts fame for the wealth he provides and his inner circle, but rarely embraces her. Even in the fire -controlled environment, the final product rarely sees it says more than, “No, Michelop Ultra” or “Bien Asisstencia”.

But this expectation is still present. The MLS was happy to include – either in a naive hope that Messi would present something close to the work of the Pele Ambassador, which is unabated in New York, or in the most charming belief that the fans will not care when he did not.

Messi may play in MLS. But he hardly took it. If anything, his presence in Inter Miaami looks like a family pocket engraved from the rest of the league with every week that passes.

From rebuilding a heavy list now on the Argentine and other South America’s talent, to the appointment of a major coach and a sports director, its most obvious qualifications are long -term relationships with the most famous team player, to the continued refusal of interaction with all members of the media who were chosen by hand except for a few members of the world, the world’s comfort has come over everything that worries.

It is good inside the Messi and Miami concession. It may even be proven that there is a profitable formula in this field.

But it is difficult to see how this leads to the great change that MLS was shouting.