Are Inter Miami and MLS Deliberately Hiding Lionel Messi’s Injury to Avoid Losses in Ticket Sales & Viewership?

When PSG signed Lionel Messi in 2021, fans expected the French soccer giants to dominate the games. In Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Messi, they had an incredible trio to reign supreme in Europe for years. Yet, the trio failed to weave their magic, and Messi prepared to depart from the club. It meant for another soccer club to sign him. In came David Beckham and Inter Miami, with a special offer. He signed it, and MLS received the greatest of all time!

As usual, Lionel Messi started the game in full throttle, scoring a last-minute free kick to win the match. Celebrities and pundits applauded his performance with a new revolution set to take place in Miami. Then he suffered an old scar tissue injury that kept him out for three matches. Yet, no one knows the extent of Messi’s injury and how serious it is. Is Inter Miami bluffing it all up?

Does the injury of Lionel Messi appear to be serious?

In some reports, Miami-based journalist Caden DeLisa on X stated how Lionel Messi suffered a significant injury that could keep him out for the remainder of the season. He “sustained a 2 cm hamstring tear,” after MRI scans confirmed the extent of the injury. It simply means he would miss the rest of the season. Apart from the poignant performances on the pitch, the player boosted the entire economy of the MLS. 

Most ticket prices are through the roof, with fans paying over $161 to witness him grace the field. It is nearly 64% higher than the league average. When Lionel Messi plays, the average ticket price reaches $329. Just crazy!

Along with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, they have three superstars who look to take Inter Miami ahead. But, with the loss of Lionel Messi, fans remain curious about whether he will start in the next game. That means concern. With him not on the team, the ticket sales dip. 

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Usually, when a player gets injured, the club gives fans an update with a predicted return date. It permits the fans to assess the options and spend their tickets wisely. In most games, celebrities attend the match in a bid to watch the Argentine play. Without him, the viewership and ticket sales will take a hit. For now, they can’t have Lionel Messi out of the Inter Miami team. The influence he has on the game is ridiculous!

Losses in ticket sales and viewership costs in mind!

When Lionel Messi signed with Inter Miami, the owners included a clause in his contract for revenue generation. He would receive a percentage of the credit generated by fans who join the Apple MLS subscription. Those numbers are astronomically high, with Apple CEO Tim Cook discussing the magnitude.

He stated, “It’s clearly in the early days, but we are beating our expectations in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit.” Lionel Messi also signed a deal with Adidas to receive a percentage of the revenue generated from the MLS jersey sales!

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There is a young fanbase excited to watch the product as people of all ages tune in to watch him play. When one looks at the viewership analysis, the MLS now averages 680,000 viewers, which is higher than most MLS post-season averages, with around 13.6 million people tuning in to watch Leagues Cup matches. On TV, the MLS averages 250,000 viewers. Putting things into perspective. If Lionel Messi doesn’t play, the viewership takes a hit. 

When will Lionel Messi return?

When fielding a line-up without Lionel Messi, Inter Miami finds it challenging to play soccer. He is the team’s creative player with a laser-like vision that unlocks defenses with ease. Apart from all the competition, people love the aesthetics involved when he glides on the turf. It remains an underrated part of soccer when competition remains high. Imagine the Barcelona side under Pep Guardiola, known for their tiki-taka soccer. 

It adds to the value of the game, and without Lionel Messi, Inter Miami loses games. They recently played in the US Open Cup final without the player and lost the match to Houston Dynamo. There is that lack of goals without him. It means fewer fans who attend the games. The impact of his soccer ability, which propelled him to the screens of the USA, is just magical. Compared to Europe, the country is slowly getting into the game, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup takes place in the USA. 

With Lionel Messi in the team, it would be critical for the country to boost the sport’s popularity. The revenue generation of mega sports events tops most of the events that happen around the world. So probably, Inter Miami wants to keep the Messi injury in secrecy. It certainly becomes a little less special with him out of the team. And vice versa, the viewership takes a hit, with ticket sales going down! A slight concern for the MLS viewers!

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