Celebrity ticket requests to watch Lionel Messi & Inter Miami go ‘really crazy’ as A-list stars lap up opportunities akin to seeing ‘Michael Phelps swim or Usain Bolt run’

The likes of Kim Kardashian, LeBron James, Will Smith and Serena Williams are among those to have caught the live Messi show – in Florida and across the United States – with there the promise of more iconic guests to come.

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Messi is the biggest draw in American soccer, by some distance, and Xavier Asensi admits that famous faces are falling over themselves to take advantage of an opportunity to watch sporting greatness. He has told the EFE news agency when asked about interest shown by celebrities from outside of the soccer world: “The level of requests that come in is really crazy. Usain Bolt has come more than once, it was impressive. From LeBron James to everything that has happened here. He is fascinating and, at the same time, a source of pride. It is wonderful to be able to experience it first hand again.”

He added on why Messi is so appealing: “We are talking about the best player of all time. It's like being able to say you've seen Tiger Woods play, or Michael Phelps swim, or Usain Bolt run, or watch Michael Jordan or Tom Brady. We are contemporaries of something that is happening here and now. Every weekend the United States has him playing in their professional league. We are talking about the greatest of all time who is active and playing.”

Messi’s magical performances this season have helped Inter Miami to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference, with six goal contributions recorded in his latest outing against the New York Red Bulls – with the history books being rewritten by the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.