Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi signed for Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami a few weeks ago from PSG; his signing has already boosted MLS image even before he makes his debut for Inter Miami.
Last week, we reported that match ticket prices for Inter Miami and other clubs that will be hosting Messi rose tremendously and others already sold out as fans scramble to have a glimpse of the Argentine star kick a ball around.
Now, Inter Miami CEO and managing owner Jorge Mas believes there is much more to come from Messi playing in the USA that goes just beyond the revenue. Mas believes the MLS can become one of the top two football leagues in the world.
“I think there will always be a before and after Messi when we talk about the sport in the United States,” Mas said to local reporters, as quoted by mlssoccer.com
He added: “I have a very, very strong-held belief that we can create in North America and the United States if not the greatest league, one of the top two leagues in the world. I cannot over-emphasize the magnitude of this [moment].”
Mas also said that Inter Miami will be recruiting more players when the league’s Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 5, 2023.
“We will be making additional signings during the summer window, more than what people anticipate. We do not have to dismantle our team. We do not have to clean house, but I can say we will potentially be making between three and five signings,” Mas explained.
Messi will make his debut for Inter Miami on July 21 when his club hosts Cruz Azul and the excitement for that match is already building up from Inter Miami fans in the USA and Messi’s fans around the world.
Messi’s new club Inter Miami are currently bottom of the Eastern Conference table, seven points off the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pace halfway through their 2023 campaign. They’re also in the US Open Cup semifinals.
