After 497 total goals spanning over 583 matches played, countless achievements and records broken, arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, Lionel Messi decided to bring his talents over to North America and join Inter Miami CF. And the reaction was unprecedented.
Along with the fame and glory, Messi is bringing along with him: 23x Top Goal Scorer, 10x Player of The Year, 4x Champions League winner, 3x UEFA Best Player in Europe, 1x World Cup Winner, 8x Ballon D’or Winner, the list goes on and on.
Messi spent the first 17 seasons of his career at FC Barcelona, and the previous 2 years in Paris Saint Germain, alongside star-studded 24-year-old Kylian Mbappe and Brazilian winger Neymar.
However, after 19 seasons of highly competitive soccer, Messi accomplished everything he needed to prove himself. After having won the last trophy he had left to win, the World Cup in 2022, Argentina was finally able to rejoice, and Leo’s mind was at ease.
Still wanting to continue his childhood dream of playing professional soccer, but not the added pressure and stress of competing at the highest level of the sport, MLS provided the best of both worlds. World-renowned soccer player turned manager was the linchpin for this opportunity to be secured.
From left to right: co-owner Jorge, Messi, co-owner Jose Mas, and David Beckham, after Messi signed with Inter Miami this past season.
After 13 years at Manchester United and Real Madrid, the English prodigy was one of the first to come to America and join the MLS, playing for the LA Galaxy, after previously playing in Europe.
After finishing his playing career in 2013, Beckham went into management. He then heavily pushed for the creation of an expansion team in Miami, where he stands today as co-owner of Inter Miami CF.
Beckham had played a crucial role in bringing Messi to Inter Miami, which turned out to be a blessing for the club along with the rest of MLS.
Out of all the major sports played in the United States, MLS is near the bottom or at the bottom in every category that people would usually associate with popularity. This could be viewership, average attendance, social media presence, or memorabilia sales. However, the arrival of one player can change this entire landscape, and it has.
For starters, Messi’s debut. On the day Messi debuted for Inter Miami, which took place in a Leagues Cup match vs Cruz Azul, brought in 110,000 new MLS season pass registrations. For comparison, the total from the day prior was just 6,143.
Moreover, with the Leagues Cup boom, which was the tournament taking place at the time Messi made the transfer to Miami, there were an average of 680,000 viewers, with a total of 13.6 million viewers over the course of the Cup. These viewing numbers were both higher than any MLS postseason average ever.
Fans across the US also made the journey to see Leo play live. Inter Miami’s average attendance in 2022 was 12,637. Despite playing in only 12 total matches for the club, Messi’s presence was enough to drive the average attendance up to 17,579 for this past 2023 season. For reference, the stadium capacity is 21,000 seats.
The financials involved with the arrival of Messi skyrocketed. The average ticket price for an Inter Miami match was $161, a whopping 64% higher than the league average. Leagues Cup ticket prices more than doubled, from $152 up to $329. Additionally, Messi is the highest-selling player across all of Fanatics, a sports merchandise website. Inter Miami as a team has already sold more merchandise than it did in all of 2022.
Additionally, Messi brought success to South Beach on top of giving the MLS and Inter Miami tons of exposure. When Messi appeared in a match, 12 times, Miami had an astounding 11-1-0 record.
Messi secures his 44th major title as Inter Miami wins the Leagues Cup.
They also outscored their opponents 33-14 and retained a 1.59 xG per game. A complete turnaround from the abysmal 0.97 xG before his arrival. Messi himself also had quite the start in his first season in North America, tallying 11 goals and 3 assists in 13 total appearances.
All the craze over Messi joining the MLS has led to other players considering doing the same. Luis Suarez, Messi’s teammate in Barcelona for 4 years, has recently reached a one-year agreement with Miami, reuniting him with his Argentinian winger.
With nearly 2 full years left on his contract, Lionel Messi has already proven himself to be one of the greatest of all time, with the influence to single-handedly recover and revitalize the MLS.