Leo Messi ends his contract with Inter Miami at the end of 2025, and both parties are negotiating a renewal that seems to be on the right track. The footballer is happy in the city and the country, where he is one of the main advertising figures, with numerous sponsors, and his medium-term football future also connects him with America, as the next World Cup will be held here. By then, the team presided over by David Beckham plans to have Freedom Park (the Park of Liberty), their new stadium, inaugurated. It will not be a FIFA venue, as that is reserved for the Hard Rock, but with its 25,000 spectators, VIP boxes, and hosting concerts and events, they hope to convince Messi.
"It is one of the largest projects in all of Miami," explains Víctor Oliver, Vice President of Revenue and Operations at the club, to EL MUNDO. This newspaper was able to visit the construction site and learn about the details of a project that aims to make Inter Miami the best organization in the MLS and one of the leading ones in football across the pond. Everything is connected between soccer and entertainment, a key aspect in a multicultural and business city like Miami.
Freedom Park will be a soccer stadium, but also a concert venue, a giant shopping center with stores and restaurants, and will have an adjacent outdoor park that will be one of the largest in the city.
Located next to the airport, they have built only one level for security reasons, and it will have a cover that will shield almost all seats in the stadium. Additionally, one of the stands will be retractable to facilitate the preparation and hosting of concerts without damaging the turf too much.
And next to the grass, one of the key features of the new project. Freedom Park will be one of the first soccer stadiums to have VIP boxes located on the field's sideline, a decision that within Inter Miami is seen as "NBA-style" and will bring celebrities from the city closer to the game, as in the basketball league. The Florida team is clear that they want to blend soccer and entertainment.
"At Chase Stadium, which has been our temporary stadium until the new one is inaugurated, celebrities like LeBron James, Karol G, Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams, Bizarrap have been on the field. The concept here is different. People want to be close, not just to have a good view of the game as in Europe," says Oliver.
The sports culture in the United States is different. Baseball, NBA, or NFL games last longer than soccer matches, and spectators are not seated in their place throughout the entire game. They socialize inside the stadium, drink, eat, and interact.
At the new Freedom Park, Inter Miami will have different VIP boxes in various parts of the stadium, totaling 5,000 premium seats, the most sought after so far. And the ones on the field have been flying off the shelves. They have 18 and 17 of them are already sold, leaving one for the club's and owners' commitments, creating an atmosphere similar to what the Lakers achieved in their arena, turning attending their games into a VIP experience surrounded by celebrities.
The economic return is also estimated to be huge. Each box located on the field, a VIP suite for several people, has been sold for between $380,000 and $500,000 for just the first season, in which they hope to have Messi. $8.5 million just for those boxes that will increase the organization's profits by 40%. The Lakers, for example, have suites that reach $5 million per year.
Real Madrid and Barça, in their case, have VIP seats and areas in their stadiums, but not on the field. A 'super VIP' seat at the Bernabéu costs ¤250,000... But for 30 years, plus an additional ¤21,000 annually. A few months ago, Real Madrid sold 300 VIP seats for 30 years and earned ¤70 million, while Barcelona sold 475 for 30 years for ¤100 million. The future may be closer to the field.