LeBron James, Serena Williams & fans in Times Square – Why Lionel Messi-mania in MLS comes as no surprise to Inter Miami boss Tata Martino

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi completed a stunning move to the United States in the summer of 2023. His arrival coincided with a sudden surge in interest across America, with MLS audiences rocketing as ticket prices soared and A-list celebrities scrambled to catch a glimpse of the all-time great in action.

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Quizzed on whether any of that has come as a shock to the system, former Argentina and Barcelona boss Martino told ESPN of the impact that Messi has wherever he goes: “If you think about it from the point of view of the American, and what football represents in the United States, you could say yes, but when it comes to who it is, the truth is no, and especially after these years, with such a fresh World Cup... There are peaks that one can predict, but suddenly seeing people in Times Square watching a New York Red Bulls soccer match with Inter Miami, maybe it is surprising, or arriving at a hotel and finding a large number of people. It seems something more in line with Barcelona and the Argentine national team, and much less with the MLS and Inter Miami, but when you see the reactions of Serena Williams and LeBron James, being who they are, the truth is that nothing surprises.”

Martino is charged with the task of bringing the best out of Messi in Florida, with Inter Miami working on ways to maximise his talent as opponents focus on limiting his impact. He added on that process: “We have to try to find ways of playing where the versions, especially in this case of Leo, can be the best, without trying to improve him individually. There came a time when we didn't surprise much, our moves and [ball] circulation were slower and our rivals anticipated this and neutralised it. Probably the question is about assembling the team, that is, finding an even better version through the rest of the players. We would be talking about something difficult, because a better version is not easy, but I focus more on this: what way we can surround him [Messi], or find him, and try not to give our opponents so many signs of how we are going to play, for example, with Leo.”

Inter Miami are due to kick-off their 2024 MLS campaign at home to Real Salt Lake on February 21, with there a series of high-profile friendlies for the club to take in prior to that – including meetings with Vissel Kobe, Newell’s Old Boys and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.