The Billionaire Who Persuaded Messi To Join "Bottom-Of-The-Barrel" Team

With Lionel Messi and Apple Inc. on his side, the 60-year-old construction executive is seeking to upend the business of US soccer and make it a lot more profitable.

Billionaire Jorge Mas persuaded the world's biggest soccer star to join a bottom-of-the-barrel team that's languishing in last place in its league. Soccer superstar Lionel Messi has officially joined Inter Miami ⚽️@AnnaJKaiser checked out his first training session with the team https://t.co/hx6xDdLou2pic.twitter.com/TyM9zC5XuN

Now he needs to make it pay off.

With Lionel Messi and Apple Inc. on his side, the 60-year-old construction executive is seeking to upend the business of US soccer and make it a lot more profitable. The lynchpin of his strategy was signing Messi to a contract that jettisoned a traditional cash-for-services agreement in favor of revenue sharing accords and an equity stake in the team - a dealmaking strategy closer to Wall Street's playbook.