Lionel Messi put in same bracket as Michael Jordan & Tom Brady as Inter Miami superstar's 'surreal' impact on MLS is revealed

The Argentine icon made plenty of headlines in the summer of 2023 when he opted to leave European football at the end of his Paris Saint-Germain contract and go chasing an American dream with MLS side Inter Miami. Within weeks of his arrival in Florida, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had inspired his new club to a historic Leagues Cup triumph.

Messi is now the star attraction in U.S. soccer, just as Jordan and Brady once were in NBA and NFL circles. Guillem Balague has told BBC Sport of how the 2022 World Cup winner is changing the game in the States: “If there's one thing American sports fans adore more than the teams they support it is the passion they feel for superstars playing for them. Think Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky and you get the idea. Now add the name Lionel Messi. No-one at club or league level was prepared for the effect Messi's signing would have on them. Season ticket packages for next season are coming out at double what they were in 2023, which makes Inter Miami one of the most expensive tickets in the world - and this for a league not generally considered to be among the top level worldwide. The club's Instagram account has gone from one million followers to 15 million. If you want to catch the little magician when Inter Miami play away from home be prepared to dig deep.”

Balague added on the impact Messi has made on and off the field, with the mercurial South American proving to be a marketing dream for Inter Miami and MLS: “The atmosphere at games borders on the surreal. No-one is really watching the game other than through the participation of Messi. If he is 50 metres from the ball everyone is still watching him. When he walks up to take a corner it is celebrated almost like a goal. It is almost like watching an event, a happening, that is occurring within another event. What about buying a shirt then? Good luck! Such is the frenzy for buying replica shirts that Adidas are struggling to meet demand in certain sizes. Even for next season. And if you can find a shirt - and apparently even Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham has been finding it tricky to get some to give to people as gifts - there is logically a dearth of the numbers 1 and 0 and the letters M, E, S and I.”

Messi was unable to guide Inter Miami into the MLS play-offs at the end of his debut campaign in America, but he is now enjoying a well-earned break and will be raring to go in 2024 – with an emotional return to Barcelona for a star-studded exhibition game that could feature eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo also being lined up for next year.