THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
When Lionel Messi put himself on the market for a transfer away from Paris Saint-Germain, the whole of the soccer world stood up and took notice. Regarded as one of, if not the best players ever to play the game, meant that to capture his signature on a contract would be a seismic move for any club around the world. Obviously with a player of Messi's stature, the net would become smaller with only a limited number of teams able to pay his salary, as well as handle the spotlight that comes his way.
A few months ago Messi added the title of World Cup winner to his already long list of accolades, and in doing so cemented his place on anyone's fabled soccer Mount Rushmore. Having lived in the shadow of fellow Argentinian great Diego Maradona for so long, he dragged his team through the tournament to an eventual thrilling penalty shootout victory in the final against France. His stock was always high, and now it was astronomical.
The MLS has now established itself as a league that doesn't need to rely on big marquee names being paid huge amounts to attract the world's best players, although when they do come along it is welcome. Far from the gimmicky league it once was in the 1970s and '80s, it takes itself very seriously and is always expanding with new teams, taking its brand all around the country. Especially into areas where there is a hotbed of passionate fans that need a team to follow, maybe fans from other areas of the world that have built large communities within their area. One such is Inter Miami.
When David Beckham, a huge star in his own right, signed for the LA Galaxy towards the end of his career, he didn't just see the MLS as a last big pay day, he saw it as an opportunity to help the game grow. After retiring in 2013 he had already made an agreement with the league to add an expansion team. It was a case of where. This became a lot clearer when after some swift negotiations a deal was struck to have the new team in Miami. Lengthy talks occurred before a location and stadium agreement was made but in 2020 Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami - Inter Miami - played their first game, an away loss to Los Angeles FC. They had to wait a little longer for their first home match due to the Covid pandemic.
Now firmly on the map, and ambitious as any other new team, Inter Miami needed a spark. Having Beckham as the man in charge was always going to help in attracting players, and when Messi became available it was the perfect opportunity. This was at the time when the fresh money of the Saudi League has been luring players both looking for a last big payday, but perhaps more than that, looking to make themselves a world power that would see them as a future host of the World Cup, given FIFA's recent success in Qatar. (Many are still talking of sportswashing, but that's another subject.)
So with the Saudi offer, and his previous club Barcelona also looking to snag Messi, Miami were seen as a long shot. The prestige of playing for a known brand still appealed to Messi. So did the chance, like Beckham, to help grow the game in a region that was still finding it hard to break through and be taken seriously. This would mean following in the footsteps of longtime playing rival Cristiano Ronaldo who had been dumped by Manchester United after an unsuccessful return there and taken the biggest deal in history to play for Al Nassr. After some consideration, Messi opted for Florida. His contract as Designated Player (a rule that enables MLS teams to sign up to three players outside of the salary cap) was confirmed on July 15.
With the inevitable media circus now in town Messi made his long awaited debut in a home match on Friday July 21. The stars came out to see him play, Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams, LeBron James, to name just three, with of course the Beckham family having a front row seat to the action. While the team itself is on a bad run of form, it was Messi they all came to see. It was like being at an LA Lakers game with celebrities on the sidelines wanting to see history. With Miami leading 1-0, Messi made his entrance 10 minutes into the second half. Judging by the huge fanfare of noise, you'd be forgiven if he'd just scored the winning goal…
Shortly afterward Cruz Azul, Miami's opponents in the Leagues Cup game, equalized. The game looked to be heading into extra time but, in the 94th minute Miami were awarded a free kick 20 yards from goal to the left side of the area. It was the perfect moment. Messi stood over the ball, with a buzz around the 20,000 in attendance. The script was written, and just need the final full stop. This was added emphatically when Messi stroked home the dead ball into the top left hand corner. Cue instant pandemonium, and the chapter closing on this opening part of the Miami-Messi affair. There will of course be many more stories coming from this adventure, but for now, if the Messi story was to end here it would do so with a satisfying conclusion.
