No more than a few hours passed from the time the private jet landed in Barcelona on a mid-September afternoon in 2019 to the time it took off again, bound for Paris.
The plane descended onto the tarmac and went straight into a van headed for a hotel, where they were whisked through a side door and ascended a private access stairwell to a suite. A few minutes later, Jorge Messi, the father of Lionel Messi, entered the room.
Around a large table that day began a courtship that led to the biggest signing in Major League Soccer history. On June 7, 2023 — 1,364 days after that first meeting — Mas was sitting at his desk in his office in Coral Gables, Fla., when he got the call with the news: Lionel Messi, seen as many as the best soccer player of all time, was coming to Miami.
Here, The Athletic details:
- Why Messi chose Miami over Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia
- How the courtship culminated in an announcement from Messi that, despite months of planning, caught many by surprise
- Why Miami have given Messi equity in the club as part of his deal
- Mas’ seat in Messi’s box at the World Cup final
- The talks that brought Apple to the table, with Messi offered a share of new international subscribers
- How Messi’s deal is structured to make him the highest-paid player in MLS history, and how corporate partners played a role in the negotiations.
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