Lionel Messi tickets ‘more in-demand than any NFL team’ as prices soar to over $3,000 for his MLS Inter Miami debut in New York

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has made an immediate impact since moving to the United States as a free agent, with a run of eight successive wins allowing him to capture a history-making Leagues Cup crown while also reaching the final of the U.S. Open Cup.

Messi’s next outing will be his MLS bow, with it possible that he could figure in a meeting with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday – if he is not rested for that fixture. Interest in entry passes for that game has surged, with prices soaring over $3,000 while the average ticket now costs $496.

“Messi’s MLS debut ticket featuring Messi’s Inter Miami and New York Red Bulls is more in-demand than any NFL team from last season, based on average price,” Vivid Seats’ Consumer Communications Specialist Shana Rosenthal has told the New York Post of those clamouring to catch a glimpse of the all-time great.

Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup clash with FC Dallas currently boasts the highest average sale price, at $678, but that record could go. The Red Bulls had explored the possibility of moving their game with Messi’s latest club to the 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium in order to get more people through the door, but New York-based NFL outfits the Jets and Giants are in pre-season action on the same night so the Red Bull Arena – which houses 25,000 supporters – will have to be used instead.