In the report “Journey to find Messi” by VTV Times reporter, readers have the opportunity to learn about the environment that created Messi’s success in the US. Messi has made history by becoming the first football player to own 46 collective titles, 3 more than his former teammate Dani Alves. On this special occasion, join VTV Times to learn more about the special characters that made Messi’s outstanding achievements in the MLS football championship and the world football map.
Powerful billionaire brothers Jorge Mas and Jose Mas
Jorge Mas, a 60-year-old Cuban-American businessman, took over as CEO and executive owner of Inter Miami FC in 2021. The team was founded by David Beckham and is currently owned by Jorge Mas and his brother Jose Mas.
The financial potential of the construction tycoon Jorge Mas’ family is a solid foundation for Messi’s success at Inter Miami.
The billionaire hopes that “owning” Lionel Messi will help him realize his dream of turning Miami into “the gateway for football, not just in South Florida but in the Americas,” as he once confided in a 2019 interview.
However, a dream season for both legend Lionel Messi and billionaire Mas is certainly not the first achievement for either man.
Forbes estimates that Jorge Mas has a net worth of $1.3 billion. He is also the chairman of Real Zaragoza, a Spanish football club.
David Beckham – The man who raised Messi’s dream
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has taken Inter Miami to a level of global recognition they could only dream of six years ago. But Inter Miami co-owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas, as well as everyone involved with the club, don’t want to stop there. Having played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and PSG, David Beckham knows what it means to be part of a truly big club.
David Beckham not only brought Messi to play and relax in the final years of his career, but also revived Messi’s ambition and raised his dream.
“The first time I spoke to David Beckham, he said he thought this could be a big club,” said Javier Morales, assistant manager who has been with Inter Miami since its inception and played with Beckham at LA Galaxy.
Obviously David Beckham came from Man United and played for big teams. That was his idea. David Beckham wanted Inter Miami to be not only a top team, not only top in the country but also in the world.
The fact that MLS in general and Inter Miami in particular own Lionel Messi proves that they can compete not only with European clubs but also the emerging threat from Saudi Arabia, where Cristiano Ronaldo is playing for Al Nassr.
Lionel Messi helped Inter Miami win the first title in the club’s young history, the Leagues Cup last season, and the MLS championship in the 2024 season. But David Beckham’s ambition goes even further and it is probably beyond the imagination of Lionel Messi as well as others, which is to turn Inter Miami into a world-dominating team.
“Barca’s Old Squadron” – Super Spicy Old Ginger
The ambition to create the best Inter Miami both on and off the pitch made David Beckham not only “pursue” Lionel Messi but also sign M10’s former teammates at Barcelona, including Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and most recently Luis Suarez.
Messi’s illustrious career success, whether in Europe or America, cannot be without the “old Barcelona squadron”.
From the doubts of the summer of 2023 to today’s success in 2024, Lionel Messi and his close friends like Suarez, Alba or Busquets have really revived a team with all kinds of problems to the 2024 MLS championship.
David Beckham was right and “very lucky” to bring in Lionel Messi and the former Barcelona greats to revive his team to the top position in the US. Perhaps Beckham himself could not have imagined that the people he brought in from Europe would help his team achieve success so quickly.
Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino told the Athletic when asked about the Barcelona legends, “The four of them are very different. One of them can send a message (with words) in a specific moment. Another one does it from a football perspective. Another one of them will use his personality to inspire.
But when you see how they compete in a small practice session, it has a lasting impact on the rest of the team, especially the younger players who don’t know that level of competition until they experience it firsthand.
They will correct you tactically throughout the game. That’s how a young player learns. They start to lose their fear, they become more comfortable, more confident and things start to work and happen in a very different way.
Coach Gerardo Tata Martino – Breaking the curse of “the teacher and student duo who only know how to come in second”
Being Lionel Messi’s coach three times is an honor that even Pep Guardiola could not achieve, yet there is an Argentine man who has received this honor, that is coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino – who accompanied Lionel Messi in the 2013-2014 season with Barca, then with the Argentina national team and now won the League Cup in the 2023-2024 season and won the MLS 2024-2025 with Inter Miami.
The two close teachers and students have broken the curse of the “runner-up couple” with the 2023 Leagues Cup championship and most recently the 2024 MLS championship.
In the 2013/2014 season, he took over as Barcelona’s head coach to replace Tito Vilanova. However, that was also the season in which Barcelona only finished 2nd in La Liga, 3 points behind the top team Atletico Madrid. Barcelona also only won the King’s Cup and after that season, coach Gerardo Martino also said goodbye to the club.
In August 2014, he signed a contract with the Argentina national team and continued to lead Lionel Messi. However, Argentina often played poorly and fell in the final of Copa America 2015 on penalties. At Copa America Centenario 2016, Argentina also experienced a similar disaster, leading to the dismissal of coach Gerardo Martino.
After 7 years, coach Gerardo Martino and Lionel Messi reunited at Inter Miami. Lionel Messi’s experience working in MLS and his talent helped this teacher-student pair break the curse of only finishing second in tournaments with two championships, the League Cup 2023 and the MLS championship 2024.
Beautiful wife Antonela and 3 sons – Peaceful support after football matches
Messi, his wife and their children moved to the US in mid-July 2023 after he signed a two-year contract with Inter Miami. The Argentine superstar has settled into his new life and quickly adapted to the lifestyle of A-list stars here. Messi is seen smiling more, both on and off the field.
Messi’s three beautiful sons always come to the stadium to cheer him on and give him mental strength every time he plays at Inter Miami’s home stadium. (Photo: Truong Hai)
In an interview when he first arrived in the US, Messi expressed his desire to live like a normal person, free, without too much media attention. The US was considered a suitable place when football was not the number one sport.
Before settling in the US, Messi and his family went to Miami many times for vacation. The warm climate and sunny white sand beaches are plus points for the Argentine superstar’s family. A few days before the Inter Miami debut, Messi and his wife posted a photo of them holding hands and walking on a beach believed to be in Miami. His wife Antonela briefly captioned the photo: “Paradise”.
It is no surprise that family is the strongest support that helps Messi go down in history as one of the most successful icons of world football.
