Excitement reaches a fever pitch whenever Lionel Messi comes to town for Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Last month, 65,612 fans filled Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, to watch Messi take on the New England Revolution. That capacity crowd broke a New England Revolution attendance record, surpassing the 2002 MLS Cup title clash between the club and the L.A. Galaxy, which drew 61,316 fans.
When Messi signed with Inter Miami in 2023, sponsorship for MLS teams rose to a record-breaking $587 million, a 15 percent increase from the previous year. Miami expects more than $200 million in 2024—Messi’s first full season in MLS.
Everywhere Messi goes, people follow.
“In previous years soccer in the United States has seen high profile players, late in their careers, come here toward the end of their careers,” Marty Conway, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University who teaches courses in sports leadership, told The Epoch Times. “Pele did this in the NASL, David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are more recent examples.
“Lionel Messi would clearly be the most prominent of the international signings, due to his current status for Argentina. I think we can say that in the short run, there is a substantial increase in the levels of interest, engagement, ticket sales, etc. For Messi, his arrival coincided with the launch of the new MLS media deal with Apple. There was a surge in fan interest and attendance when Inter Miami went on the road.”
Messi is a global brand because he was regarded as one of the greatest soccer players in the history of the game. He has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards—given to the world’s best player over the previous season—and six European Golden Shoes, given each season to the leading goal scorer in league matches from the top division of Europe’s professional leagues.
Although he is just 5 feet 7 inches and 148 pounds, Messi is strong, fast, and well-balanced, consistently keeping opponents on their heels. He is naturally left-footed and can maintain precise control of the ball as he dribbles around defenders.
Messi, who was born in Rosario, Argentina, joined powerhouse FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, at age 16. From there, his professional career took off and he became increasingly famous. With Messi in the lineup, Barcelona won 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey championships, and four UEFA Champions League trophies.
Messi is also a national hero after leading Argentina to the 2021 Copa América championship and the FIFA World Cup title in 2022. At the World Cup, he won a second Golden Ball with seven goals, including two in the final against France, and broke the record for most games played at the prestigious tournament with 26.
After a brief stint at French club Paris Saint-Germain from 2021 until 2023, Messi moved to Miami with much fanfare and a contract worth a guaranteed $20.5 million per year. He also secured profit-sharing deals with Apple TV, MLS’s primary global broadcast partner, and sports apparel company Adidas.
“MLS and Apple announced that new subscribers can get the MLS League Pass from Apple for up to 30 percent off the regular price,” Mr. Conway said. “Moves like this suggest that it was a surge in the short run, however, Messi’s presence may not turn out to be the longer-term, sustainable increase that the league was looking for. In the long run, MLS will need to develop a deep pool of younger talent, American talent in particular, to have sustained success in their marketing and media efforts.”
Messi made an immediate impact with Miami on the pitch, leading the club to the MLS-Liga MX Leagues Cup tournament championship—the first title since the franchise played its first game in 2020.
In Messi’s debut 2023 season, MLS had a record of 10.9 million fans attending games throughout the league. The average attendance was 22,111, a 5 percent increase from 21,033 in 2022.
Teams have made adjustments to welcome Messi this season.
Sporting Kansas City moved its game against Miami from Children’s Mercy Park with a seating capacity of 18,467 to Arrowhead Stadium, which holds 76,416. The cost for tickets in the secondary market for Miami’s game at the Los Angeles Galaxy started at $570. At Soldier Field in Chicago, ticket prices surged to $699 for the Fire’s game against Miami.
Messi has done his part by putting on a show for the fans.
Messi was named the MLS Player of the Month for April with six goals and four assists in four games. On May 4, Messi had an MLS-record six-point performance (one goal and five assists) in Miami’s 6–2 victory over New York Red Bulls.
Messi has been critical of some parts of MLS. For example, he is not happy with a new rule that forces an injured player to the sideline for two minutes. The rule forces the team to play with 10 men.
Despite the hiccups, Messi’s tenure in MLS has been a success and the league will continue to ride that momentum.
