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Messi move to Miami a huge coup for MLS, American soccer

Reuters

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Messi move to Miami a huge coup for MLS, American soccer

STAR POWER. The arrival of Lionel Messi gives US soccer a huge boost.

Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Lionel Messi may follow a similar path to that of his new team Inter Miami’s co-owner David Beckham, the retired British football superstar who sent shockwaves when he moved to the US

NEW YORK, USA – Major League Soccer (MLS) has signed a few big names over the years but the recruitment of Lionel Messi by Inter Miami could be a game-changer for American soccer.

The great Argentine forward announced on Wednesday he had decided to join the MLS side and play for a club outside Europe for the first time in more than 20 years, though he told Mundo Deportivo and Sport newspapers the deal was not 100% done.

Snaring the record seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has the potential to be a huge lift for soccer in the US, where it trails the other four major North American men’s professional leagues in popularity.

Messi had wanted to go to a club where he could eventually have an ownership stake, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters this week.

That would see him follow a similar path to that of his new team’s co-owner David Beckham, who sent shockwaves through MLS when he joined LA Galaxy in 2007 after exiting Real Madrid, in a deal that gave him the right to a discounted franchise.

Beckham and his wife, Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls, fitted in with the celebrity-drenched culture of Tinseltown and the move was celebrated as opening a new era for MLS.

Yet Messi’s move as a free agent after parting ways with French champions Paris St Germain could have greater significance.

“He is the most recognizable and the best soccer player on the planet at the same time,” said Eric Wynalda, a former US national player and soccer broadcaster who currently hosts a show on SiriusXM.

“Not only will it be about an attraction, it will also be about getting a chance to see greatness.”

The announcement falls short of the biggest shock in North American club soccer, when late Brazilian great Pele came out of retirement to sign for a little-known US club called the New York Cosmos in 1975.

But with North America set to host the World Cup in three years’ time, Messi’s arrival coincides with a period of far greater momentum for the sport and could accelerate the popularity of MLS, which has seen steady growth since its inaugural season in 1996.

“(MLS is) not going to become the equivalent of any of the European leagues overnight,” said Andrew Zimbalist, a professor at Smith College and co-author of National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World Plays Soccer.

“Most true soccer fans in the United States when they want to see top level competitive soccer are going to tune into European soccer, they’re not going to move to MLS. But Messi will have an impact that will begin to change that.” 

‘League with fewer demands’

Messi had also received a “proposal” to return to his former club Barcelona. However, the Spanish champions had their hands tied due to LaLiga’s financial fair play rules.

“If Barcelona didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more about my family,” Messi said.

“I didn’t want to leave my future in the hands of others. I was looking forward to coming back, but in the end it didn’t happen.”

Barcelona wished Messi good luck, saying in a statement that Messi’s father and agent had informed the club on Monday of his decision to move to America instead of returning to Spain.

“Barcelona president (Joan) Laporta understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years,” the LaLiga side said.

The club added that Laporta and Jorge Messi, Messi’s father, agreed to work together to promote a proper tribute from fans to honor the 35-year-old.

Messi was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia after playing his final game for Paris St Germain over the weekend. – Rappler.com

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