How Lionel Messi Would And Wouldn’t Change MLS And Inter Miami

As if there weren’t enough soccer news during another busy day at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, on Sunday The Times of London reported that Inter Miami CF is close to completing a deal to sign Argentine great Lionel Messi.

Despite a lengthy list of European club stars who have graced MLS shores on the latter side of their careers, Messi’s arrival would be unprecedented in MLS history. Only a handful of players in the history of the game compare to his level of accomplishment, with only a couple of those even active during MLS’ existence.

Of the biggest previous blockbuster signings in MLS history, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gareth Bale were never once Ballon d’Or winners. Messi has been named the world’s best player a record seven times.

But even a generational talent like Messi won’t unilaterally transform MLS overnight. There’s limitations to what his arrival can do for the league and his new club. Here’s a few ways you should and should’t expect him to make an impact.

Messi Will Boost MLS’ Spanish-Speaking Reach

So much of the recent focus in boosting MLS’ reach in Latin America has been centered on Mexican and Mexican-American fans that sometimes it gets lost that Mexico makes up only roughly a quarter of the world’s Spanish Speaking population.

And while Messi’s adorers aren’t exclusively Spanish speakers, there’s no doubt he may have wider appeal in the Americas than the likes of current MLS stars and former Mexico national team regulars Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Carlos Vela.

For years now, MLS has relied on the world’s Spanish speaking nations to a large degree to import talent to its rosters. Messi will provide far more direct way to capture the attention of fans in those same nations.

Messi Won’t Eliminate ‘Retirement League’ Stigma

If the specifics suggested in The Times’ report are correct, Messi would be 36 years old when he makes his Miami debut next summer. That’s four years older than Bale and Beckham were at the time of their MLS debuts, and the same age as Ibrahimovic.

Additionally, Messi has publicly acknowledged the 2022 World Cup will likely be his last. So for those of the opinion that MLS is primarily a destination for aging stars whose most relevant games are behind them, the arc of Messi’s career won’t necessarily dissuade them.

Messi Will Make Inter Miami A Big Club

Since Inter Miami began play three years ago, the club co-owned by Beckham has tried to build in the glamorous image of the former England and Manchester United star.

But early signings intended to bring that brand to fruition didn’t pan out. Gonzalo Higuain eventually paid dividends for the Herons, but only after lengthy difficult stretches in his new surroundings. And although knowledgeable fans of the global game respected his accomplishment, he never quite had that star persona.

Rodolfo Pizarro might have had star potential, but his early days with the Herons were even worse than Higuain’s. The former Mexico national team regular eventually on loan to CF Monterrey. And although Blaise Matuidi won a World Cup with France, he was neither a big personality nor all that effective in his brief time in Miami.

Now, Messi isn’t the most overstated of sports superstars. But his fame and pedigree is so far beyond above any that have come to Miami before that it will lift the club’s stature single-handedly. It couldn’t come at a better time either, as the Herons look to build momentum heading toward what they hope will be a 2025 opening of their permanent home at Miami Freedom Park.

Messi Won’t Make Miami MLS Cup Favorites

If you think Messi will immediately make the Herons MLS Cup favorites, you haven’t been paying attention to his career. Messi may be the greatest player of his generation, but the difference between his club and country achievements shows even he can’t do it alone.

On the club level, Messi won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona on four occasions. In international play, Messi’s Copa America triumph in the summer of 2021 was his first major trophy with Argentina.

The difference? Barcelona was a team full of superior players in most cases, even if he was the most talented. At Argentina, he was often faced with opponents who had just as much depth, if not a leader quite of his caliber.

Miami improved dramatically in Year 3 in MLS under Phil Neville. But their roster remains a work in progress and a couple rungs beneath the best in the league. Messi can definitely push it closer toward the top end, but he alone can’t be expected to change a side that finished mid-table in 2022 into the best team in the league in 2023.