Can a brand management company that currently manages one outerwear company pull off a successful IPO? If the brand in question is Leo Messi’s, the answer might just be a resounding “Yes.” A new article in Quartz offers an inside look at MGO Global, which describes itself as “[developing] global brands with a long stand approach to the market.” The IPO is currently scheduled for January 13.
For now, MGO’s offerings focus on Messi’s lifestyle brand, which primarily sells outerwear, along with wallets and underwear. Messi’s contract with MGO runs through 2024, according to Quartz’s reporting. Messi himself does not own part of the business, but he does earn a percentage of its sales.
And while Messi is one of the world’s most famous athletes, MGO seems hyper-focused on his brand to the seeming exclusion of working with anyone else. A quote from their SEC filing cited in Quartz’s article is revealing: “While it is our intention to pursue growth and expansion of our brand portfolio in the future, we currently are not negotiating or have any probable agreements to add additional assets to the Messi Brand in our portfolio at this time.”
It does beg the question of the extent to which investors will flock to a company with one (admittedly massive) client. Then again, famous soccer players do have a way of attracting massive amounts of cash, as Cristiano Ronaldo’s recently-signed contract with Saudi Pro League team Al Nassr — a team whose games are only available in the U.S. on the streaming service Shahid — shows.
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