'Every game is like the Super Bowl with Messi' says MLS commissioner
Cameron Smith
- 10 Dec 2023 13:01 GMT
- 3 min read
MLS commissioner Don Garber has admitted that Lionel Messi’s transfer to Inter Miami has massively aided the profile of the league, while he believes every game that features the Argentine is “like the Super Bowl.”
Messi, 36, left Paris Saint-Germain upon his contract expiry this summer and opted to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami, despite interest from his former club Barcelona and the Saudi Pro League.
The 2022 World Cup winner, who won TIME’s Athlete of the Year award for 2023 last week, recently admitted: “My first option was to return to Barcelona, but it was not possible. I tried to return, and it did not happen.”
Although he wanted to rejoin the Blaugrana, Messi’s move to the MLS has garnered plenty of media attention and the fact he scored a last-minute free-kick winner on his debut was a fitting beginning to life in America.
LIONEL ANDRÉS MESSI IS NOT HUMAN. pic.twitter.com/2mBDI41mLy
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 22, 2023
The likes of Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams and LeBron James were all in attendance for Messi’s first Inter Miami game and he delivered a last-gasp fairytale moment.
While his start to life in MLS hasn’t been the best from a personal perspective - Messi scored just one goal in six games and failed to guide Inter Miami to the playoffs - his impact has been huge.
What has been said?
Garber has admitted to USA Today: “With Messi, every game is almost like the Super Bowl, with the celebrity presence and the global media presence. Messi joining the league became a global story that raised the profile of our league.
“The greatest player of all-time made MLS his league of choice - what could that mean to the next group of (international) players who are now watching our games on a global platform, who are following what Leo did with Miami?
“He expanded and grew our global presence. We’re just beginning to understand what that could mean.”
Messi’s Inter Miami contract runs until the end of 2025, meaning he is set to enjoy two full seasons of MLS action before his time in Florida comes to an end.
