September 2023
Supplement
HBS Case Collection

David Beckham (B): Signing Lionel Messi to Inter Miami CF

By: Anita Elberse and David Moreno Vicente

Format:Print
| Language:English
| Pages:15

Abstract

In June 2023, David Beckham, co-owner of Major League Soccer team Inter Miami CF, is hoping to find a way to bring Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the best players the world of soccer has ever seen, to his team. But Messi—a seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or and fresh off a fairy-tale-like FIFA World Cup victory with the Argentine national team—is in high demand, and Inter Miami do not have the means to enter a bidding war, so Beckham and his partners will have to be creative. They have been working on an offer for Messi that involves a deal that runs until the winter of 2025, is worth between $20 million and $25 million in salary (including bonuses and other incentives), and that offers him an equity stake in Inter Miami after his retirement from professional soccer. Will the offer he and his partners have been preparing be sufficient to make Messi choose Miami?

Keywords

Soccer; Football; Superstars; General Management; Sports; Negotiation Offer; Competitive Strategy; Compensation and Benefits; Entertainment; Media; Marketing; Sports Industry; Miami

Citation

Elberse, Anita, and David Moreno Vicente. "David Beckham (B): Signing Lionel Messi to Inter Miami CF." Harvard Business School Supplement 524-040, September 2023.