Messi Mania in Miami 🤩

06/08/2023 Messi Mania in Miami 🤩

By: Jeff Yoder

Lionel Messi Finalizing Deal to Join MLS Club Inter Miami CF in July

If Miami wasn’t already the center of the sports world at the moment, it is now. The Heat and Panthers are in the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals, and now the Miami MLS club just signed one of the greatest soccer players to ever walk the planet. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF are finalizing a deal that would bring the 35-year-old Argentinian to the MLS in a stunning move. Messi played the last two seasons with Paris Saint-Germain after an illustrious career with Barcelona. He was rumored to be joining Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia for a contract in the neighborhood of $400 million. Instead, he’s coming to America.

 

What Messi Move Means for MLS

Inter Miami CF are just four years old. The club was one of the recent MLS expansion franchises, and they haven’t had much success since their inception in 2019. The Messi deal is bigger than just boosting Miami’s competitiveness. He’ll get a similar offer that David Beckham received for joining LA Galaxy as a player more than a decade ago; one that includes the option to buy ownership of an MLS club at a discounted price. Beckham now owns Inter Miami, and the Latin-American influence in South Florida makes it the perfect marriage for the Argentinian icon. The city, soccer fans, and the MLS are all winners.

 

Messi By The Numbers

806 — Career Goals (2nd All-Time)

42 — Major Trophies (Club & Country)

22 — Top Goal-Scorer Titles

7 — Ballon d’Or Trophies (World’s Best Player)

4 — Champions League Titles

3 — Best FIFA Men’s Player Award

1 — World Cup (Argentina, 2022)

 

It was widely reported that Messi wanted to return to Barcelona to finish out his career, but the club’s financial situation made that nearly impossible. Terms of the Miami-Messi deal are still being worked out, but it’s undoubtedly the biggest signing in the 27-year history of MLS.

 

The Messi Ticket Spike

Cheapest Inter Miami Ticket Before Messi: $29

Cheapest Inter Miami Ticket After Messi: $467

 

Get ready, America. ‘Messi Mania’ is coming…


Read More

NPR: Soccer Shocker: Lionel Messi Says He’ll Join Miami’s MLS Team

Forbes: Lionel Messi Makes Monumental Move to MLS’s Inter Miami

Sporting News: When Will Messi Play for Inter Miami? Schedule & Potential MLS Debut

CBS Sports: What’s Next for Superstar Messi Coming to the U.S.?

 

Photo: Shaun Botterill / Getty Images