Lionel Messi sent shock waves around the footballing world when he left Paris Saint Germain. However, instead of signing for any other top European club or go to Saudi League, Lionel Messi opted to join Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami.
The deal went through despite Messi receiving a huge offer Saudi cub Al-Hilal. On top of that, it was also reported that former club Barcelona tried everything to make a financial package that would allow Messi to rejoin the team.
Even after all the enticing factors elsewhere, going to MLS made little sense, but Messi will play his football at DRV PRK Stadium next season.
Messi’s move to Inter Miami comes down to the genius of the club owners David Beckham and The Mas brothers – Jose and Jorge. A lowdown on Inter Miami’s ownership structure and who has the majority stakes.
Inter Miami ownership structure
The ownership group was first formed in 2013 when the franchise was named Miami Beckham United but later was changed to Miami Freedom Park LLC, after multiple complications. The initial formation draws back to 2007 when Beckham came to play in the MLS and was allowed to buy a franchise at a discounted offer.
In September 2021, it was made official that David Beckham and the Mas brothers Jose and Jorge bought complete stakes of ownership of the club. Later on, Ares Management was also added to the ownership group and the ownership structure has remained the same since.
#InterMiami see a surge of 5x in their Instagram following on Instagram since Messi announced that he will be joining the MLS club👀🥵#Messi @InterMiamiCF pic.twitter.com/zO9mRvuasP
— FootTheBall FC (@FootTheBallFC) June 8, 2023
Does Beckham own Inter Miami?
Back in 2007 when David Beckham joined LA Galaxy, the English winger added a clause in his contract that said he can own an MLS club after he retires as part of the deal. He decided to trigger that clause in 2013.
Thus, this makes it clear that David Beckham was the first owner of Inter Miami. Although many outlets say that he is the co-owner of Inter Miami, it is still unclear how much of a stake he has at the club, given that the Mas brothers hold a stake at the club and are also the co-owners of Inter Miami.
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