- Leo Messi shocked football fans globally when he signed for Inter Miami – a 3-season contract in MLS
- Since his arrival the club has gone 11 games unbeaten, he’s scored 11 goals and registered 5 assists
- Only six weeks ago, Inter Miami was the worst team in MLS – they hadn’t won a game in eight weeks and were failing to score more than two goals in a game all season
- Messi has led Inter to Leagues Cup glory, a place in the US Open Cup final and a shot at reaching the MLS playoffs
- But now he’s off on international duty and could miss three games
- What does MLS need to do to grow their league whilst they have Messi and can they shake off the title of being a retirement league?
Can Inter Miami win without Messi?
Inter Miami have gone 11 games unbeaten thanks in large to Argentina football star Lionel Messi – he’s scored 11 goals and registered five assists in all competitions. He has played the most crucial role in helping to deliver Leagues Cup glory, a place in the US Open Cup final and a shot at reaching the MLS playoffs.
But as Messi now prepares to head off for international duty, how will his club cope?
Messi has taken over MLS, but will they capitalise on his presence?
It was only six weeks ago Inter Miami was the worst team in MLS. They had not won a MLS game in eight weeks, hadn’t scored more than two goals in a game all season and were attracting the smallest number of fans to its (temporary) stadium.
Messi along with former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets have changed that. The team is now averaging nearly three goals a game and on Sunday, they drew a stadium-record crowd of 22,921 including celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Selena Gomez.
Whilst 23,000 fans turning up for a football match is a small number compared to the Premier League and other top European Leagues, in a country like the US, where football is not a cultural, religious life-or-death experience, it’s a visible growth in interest in the beautiful game.
What does Messi’s arrival tell us about MLS?
But it’s here where the issue lies. In the US, football is not a working-class sport, it’s almost exclusively for wealthy kids. Football clubs in America do not have hundreds of years of history like their European counterparts, but instead are clubs built by wealthy people, for wealthy people. Perhaps that’s the reason why Americans don’t connect with the sport or their clubs the way Europeans do. Perhaps it’s why football – the most popular sport on earth – has never really taken off in the US, perhaps, whilst MLS is improving, it’s why the country’s national league can’t shake off the label of being a retirement league.
Football in America is for wealthy kids, they must open it to everyone if they want their leagues to succeed
Messi is 37 and has taken one of the worst teams to the top in a matter of weeks, proving the league is still far behind. But his star name has sparked a wide interest in the sport in the US, unlike anything we’ve seen before. But whilst the sport remains largely exclusive to wealthy kids, it’s likely the league won’t see any major development.
With the sport only welcoming to those who can afford it in the US, the clubs and national teams are cut off from a wider pool of talent, interest drops and the US remains out of step with global football culture.
MLS likely only has a couple of years of Messi playing – that’s a couple of years to expand the sport. But how long interest will last in football in the US is debatable.
If Messi is out injured will the current football craze sweeping the US fade out? How will his club cope with him on international duty?
It might serve as an important marker to see just how important Messi is to MLS over the next few games. He is set to miss at least one game for his new club – where they’ll face Kansas City.
“We will try to put together the best performance possible against Kansas City. We’ll also hope that the players leaving come back healthy and well so that we can continue this stretch,” said coach Tata Martino.
Messi is reportedly due $150 million over the next three seasons. But for MLS to thrive they will need to find a way to expand payrolls without inviting financial ruin. They need to invest at a wider youth level instead of buying ageing stars or they’ll need to figure out a way to do both.
Will MLS stop being a retirement league?
MLS also faces the threat from the Saudi league. Most big-name players will want to spend their prime in a European league – it is after all where the biggest number of attendances are, the money, the history and the talent. Traditionally, when it comes time to leave Europe’s leagues, MLS has been a go-to for big names. Messi himself acknowledged his choice for MLS was in part the lifestyle and wanting to slow down.
Whilst MLS can offer the lifestyle, it can’t compete with the Saudi league in terms of money. That was seen when ageing stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar headed to Saudi over America. If it’s not careful, the Saudi Pro League will replace MLS as the retirement league – and the league could fall into oblivion.
MLS must use its time with Messi to expand the sport and open it up to a wider market. If they use this time well, the league could one day move away from the retirement league status and become a celebrated league in its own right.
