Lionel Messi is the best to have ever put on a soccer jersey. With 46 team trophies to his name and other-world-y ball control and vision, he’s the king of the sport. And even at 38, now playing for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, he’s a sight to behold.
It’s not guaranteed you’ll him play even if you have a ticket. He could be rested or suffer an injury during warm-ups. But the stage seemed to be set for him to play on July 12th. Nashville F.C. was in town, an Eastern Conference rival with—at least at the time of kickoff—the joint league scoring leader in striker Sam Surridge.
I had a pretty good feeling that stat line was about to change.
The effect
Messi is not the first star player to head to an American pitch to wind down his career. We’ve seen greats like Pele, David Beckham, and Thierry Henry. But the Messi effect is pretty unique. Even now, with the MLS more diverse and talented than ever (while still admittedly a few steps behind top leagues like LaLiga and the Premiere League), Messi runs the show. His team was valued at around $60 million right before he showed up. Now, it’s three times that, and counting. The league at large has seen a 20% revenue increase since he joined up in July of 2023.
The phenomenon is hard to put into perspective. It would be like if Lebron James went to play pro hoops in Canada, like, after winning the NBA Championship in 2020. Or, if Tom Brady decided to go play in Europe instead of heading to Tampa Bay to win another Super Bowl. Messi moved to the states to play on the heels of winning the World Cup, the biggest sporting event on planet earth. For good measure, he also won the Copa America with his national team in 2024. The dude is still doing big things and now plays here. HERE.
If you told me this would happen when Messi was just an early teen making waves in Barcelona, I would have laughed at you. Just 20 years ago, the MLS starting salary was so low that players would have to crowd together in shared homes in the bigger cities just to make ends meet. Soccer was essentially counterculture when I was in high school. I loved to play it and felt as though I was born in the wrong country. Now, the MLS has 30 teams, with designated players that come from some of the best leagues in the world. The starting salary is now $104,000, with many players of course making a lot more than that. The league has a deal with Apple and games are broadcasted before ravenous fans at MLS sports bars from Los Angeles to Charlotte.
The magic
Frankly, the magic started when he stepped on the field. The roar of the crowd was louder than even the strongest crack of south Florida thunder and suddenly every camera came out to capture the guy. He waved at fans as we warmed up, chatting now and again with pals and teammates like Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez.
When the whistle sounded, there was a brief bit of quiet. It almost felt like collective disbelief (or good fortune). We are all pinching ourselves to make sure this was real. Messi, soccer god who has captured every major award and played every iconic stadium at the highest level of soccer, was here at Chase, capacity 21,500. It felt a little like going to a storied church. Even if you’re not spiritual, you feel the weight of the place, even when intimate, and if for no other reason that it’s valued by humanity so much.
Then, in the 17th minute, vintage Messi magic. He curled a free kick in with his unmatched left foot, bending it around the wall, low and to the far post. I only captured it on my phone because Messi has become so predictably good. He just doesn’t miss often from there. He created many chances after that and even got into a very heated conversation with the ref about a no-call. Ultimately, he picked the opposing keeper’s pocket in the 62nd minute for a brace that also happened to cancel out Hany Mukhtar’s brilliant 49th-minute equalizer.
At one point, he collected a zippy pass in the center of the park, dropped a shoulder as if to go one way, and quickly turned the other. He left three defenders in his wake, all with their proverbial pockets out, staring at the sky in wonder. Messi is fast. But he might be even faster, somehow, with the ball at his feet.
The rest of the game was a refreshing reminder that Messi is not in the midst of some kind of farewell tour. He did not come to the MLS to retire quickly. He’s not quite the player he was at Barcelona, but he can still go the full 90 (as he did this game) and make people look silly throughout (as he did multiple times this game). His dribbling pace and quick turns, even with his back to goal, are scary fast. If he stays healthy, we’re going to see a lot more Messi magic.
Full time: Inter Miami 2, Nashville F.C. 1.
Miami and La Familia
There’s a pulse to Chase Stadium. And while there’s a beating heart in just about every soccer venue, this one feels a little different. You get the black and pink seats, occupied by black-and-pink-wearing fans surrounding the field like flamingo feathers. You get the Caribbean composition, rows filled with fans from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and more, either this generation or the one before. The air is sticky and the sunset is beautiful. There’s a rap battle completely in Spanish at half time, set to latin trap and reggaeton.
Keeping that pulse alive is La Familia, Inter Miami’s ultras of sorts. The mega fans beat on drums and start changes all game long, creating a soundtrack for the game that sounds distinctively south Floridian. The stadium is relatively small. Sections look like a glorified high school field, essentially bleachers. But you get to see why Messi chose this place. After Messi’s second goal, fans once again did what they’ve done for decades now. They chanted his name while bowing, as though saluting a god among men.
It’s a fitting gesture.
