Most people have not heard of Jorge Mas until today. The American billionaire, owner of the construction company MasTec, is not even among the richest in the USA. But the whole world recognized him as the man who convinced Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who is, according to some, the best active football player, to join the last place team in the US soccer league (MSL). Moreover, Messi did this by rejecting the astronomical offer from Saudi Arabia.
Mas, the 60-year-old manager of a construction company, now seeks to make MSL one of the most profitable leagues in the world. He also stated this goal in an interview with thousands of fans in the rain to watch Messi wear the Inter Miami jersey for the first time. “I have huge aspirations for Inter Miami, MLS and sports. I’m in,” he said.
Jorge Mas convinced Messi to play for Inter Miami. Photo: TwitterOf course, it wasn’t easy for Mas to bring Messi to the last place in a league like MSL, which is underestimated. Jorge Mas says it took 3 years to convince the Argentinean football player. Signing a contract until 2025, Messi will receive a salary of $ 20 million a year from Miami. This money is expected to reach $55 million with bonuses. He will also own a minority stake in Miami when he retires. However, it is worth remembering that Messi came to the USA by rejecting the annual offer of 400 million dollars from the Saudi Arabian team Riyadh. If Messi had accepted this offer, he would have become a billionaire.
How did Mas convince Messi?
So how did Jorge Mas convince Messi? For one thing, Messi already has a house in Miami and spends his vacations here every summer. His family is already quite familiar with Miami. Second, Messi is still the captain of the Argentina national team and the next Copa America and World Cup events will be played in the USA. Messi will be closer to Argentina while in Miami. Besides, the persuasion ability of Jorge Mas is of course very important. Mas probably convinced Messi by introducing that the US is hungry for football and that Messi could literally change the sport in this country.
Jorge Mas not only brought Messi, but also added stars such as Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who played with Messi in Barcelona for long distances, to the team’s roster. He also appointed former Barcelona and Argentina coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, whom Messi knew very well, to head Inter Miami. On the other hand, the construction of Inter Miami’s new Freedom Park stadium, which can host up to 25,000 fans, will begin soon. Mas says the privately funded project cost well over $1 billion.
Messi started training with Inter Miami. Photo: Inter Miami/TwitterOf course, Mas expects a big profit from all these investments. First of all, Apple TV +, which holds the broadcasting rights of MSL, will attract a huge audience thanks to Messi. The team will also receive a share of this interest. Not to mention the contribution of other sponsors. It is estimated that the value of Miami could increase threefold in a year and reach $1.5 billion.
Born in Miami in 1963, Jorge Mas is the son of Cuban businessman Jorge Mas Canosa. The businessman started working at his father’s telecommunications company, Church & Tower, in 1984. Mas, who took over the company from his father in 1994, changed the name of the company to MasTec. Providing services in many fields from telecommunication to infrastructure construction, MasTec’s size exceeds 9 billion dollars.ti. According to Forbesto Jorge Mas has a net worth of $1.4 billion.One of Mas’s partners in the team, who has served as the CEO of Inter Miami since May 2021, is the legendary British football player David Beckham, who is also the founder of the team.
Sources: Bloomberg, Forbes
