South Florida developers zero in on Messi fever 

Two prospective buyers recently walked into the sales center at Oasis Hallandale dressed in Lionel Messi attire — down to the pink shoes — and signed contracts to buy condos. 

The buyers, who drove in from Naples, were attracted to the condo development’s proximity to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and to Drive Pink stadium in Fort Lauderdale where Inter Miami plays, said sales director Norma Campos. Miami is one of 16 cities that will host the FIFA World Cup games in 2026, with up to a half-dozen games planned at Hard Rock Stadium. 

“We’re mainly now focusing on soccer because it’s such a big thing for Latin America,” Campos said. “One buyer has gone to the last seven World Cups.” 

Call it Messi fever, as new condo projects are targeting marketing to soccer and Messi enthusiasts. 

The developer of Oasis, a 500-unit condo development under construction at 1000 East Hallandale Beach Boulevard, is aiming for Messi fanatics. The project’s developer, a group led by Giuseppe Iadisernia, references Messi in a recent advertorial in a Mexican magazine called “High & Beyond.” 

Messi, a World Cup champion, joined the Major League Soccer team Inter Miami in July, and this month closed on a waterfront mansion in Fort Lauderdale’s Bay Colony. 

To say his arrival in South Florida has created a frenzy would be an understatement. So how does that translate into sales?

Developers and brokers say Messi is part of the appeal for some buyers, especially as sales teams increasingly target buyers from Mexico and Latin America. Many are reporting growing interest from Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Chile. Miami has long been referred to as the capital of South America, but that died down a bit during the pandemic. 

Camilo Miguel Jr., CEO of Mast Capital said his company is not doing any soccer-related marketing, but his projects are indirectly benefiting from Messi’s move to South Florida, the World Cup and other events like Formula One. Mast’s projects include the planned Cipriani Residences in Miami’s Brickell. 

“Messi coming here is certainly adding fuel to an already hot fire,” Miguel said. 

Graco Funes, a mortgage lender who splits his time between Chicago and Miami, said Oasis Hallandale’s location attracted him. He’s in contract to buy a unit at the project in part because it’s close to both Hard Rock and about half an hour from Drive Pink. Funes is an Inter Miami season ticket holder and F1 enthusiast. 

“A bunch of new friends of mine signed on to buy at the project simply because of the Messi factor,” he said. 

The gift that keeps on giving

Most projects aren’t running ads with Messi’s face on them, but the fútbol superstar is part of the conversation. 

“It’s very much a part of the dialogue. We have two [developments] that will be done in time for the World Cup, and one of the things we were saying is they will be ready in time,” said Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, referring to the Gale in downtown Miami and 72 Park in Miami Beach. The latter is planned in North Beach, which is home to a large Argentinian community. (Messi is from Rosario, Argentina, northwest of Buenos Aires.)  

She said Messi is “the gift that keeps on giving.” 

“Every time Messi plays, Miami is seen internationally, all over the place,” Cervera Lamadrid, managing partner of Cervera Real Estate, added. 

While it’s difficult to quantify Messi’s effect on new condo development, Edgardo Defortuna, CEO of Fortune International Group, pointed to the fact that Inter Miami’s Instagram account has grown from about 1 million followers before Messi joined the team to now more than 15 million. The exposure is major. 

On a smaller scale, Defortuna’s firm is targeting soccer players as buyers. 

“People like to be among their peers,” he said. “Those players bring with them some economic power.” 

Case in point: Days after Messi’s longtime teammate Sergio Busquets paid $8.7 million for a waterfront home in Sea Ranch Lakes, Messi closed on his purchase of the waterfront estate nearby. 

Kevin Venger, who is part of the group developing the Major Food Group-branded Villa Miami condo tower planned in Edgewater, said that the sales team is talking to athletes who play professional soccer, football and basketball. 

Venger was also part of the group that developed One Thousand Museum in downtown Miami, where Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham owns a unit; and Regalia in Sunny Isles Beach, where Messi’s family purchased a condo last year. 

Messi has had his eye on Miami for years. He purchased three oceanfront condos in 2019, including a unit at Dezer Development’s Porsche Design Tower. But it wasn’t clear then that he would play professionally in Miami. This year, he turned down a deal worth close to half a billion dollars annually from Saudi Arabia. His deal with Inter Miami, a team led by Miami businessmen and brothers Jorge and José Mas, is worth much less on paper. 

“It’s more than just soccer. Just the fact that these people who can live anywhere in the world chose to live here is an endorsement to the quality of life,” Cervera Lamadrid said. “[Messi] didn’t move here to play soccer. He moved here and is playing soccer.” 

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