{"id":20273,"date":"2023-06-09T00:39:27","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T04:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/investing\/messis-inter-miami-move-phenomenal-and-game-changing-for-mls-say-former-u-s-soccer-stars\/"},"modified":"2023-06-09T00:39:28","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T04:39:28","slug":"messis-inter-miami-move-phenomenal-and-game-changing-for-mls-say-former-u-s-soccer-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=20273","title":{"rendered":"Messi\u2019s Inter Miami move \u2018phenomenal\u2019 and \u2018game-changing\u2019 for MLS, say former U.S. soccer stars"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When Lionel Messi announced his intention to join Inter Miami CF earlier this week, the Argentine star ended years of speculation about the next chapter in his career after departing French giant Paris Saint-Germain. The announcement also thrust Major League Soccer firmly into the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our league,\u201d MLS said in a statement Wednesday<\/p>\n

\n

Former U.S. national team star Eric Wynalda gave a more unequivocal assessment of Messi\u2019s unique talents. \u201cHe\u2019s the best player the world has ever seen,\u201d he told MarketWatch on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Wynalda holds the distinction of scoring the first-ever MLS goal in 1996, and went on to play over 100 games for the U.S. national team, including appearances at three World Cups. The former forward is excited to see Messi launch the next stage of his career in the South Florida sun.<\/p>\n

Related<\/strong>: Messi says joining MLS\u2019s Inter Miami \u2018wasn\u2019t about money\u2019 after turning down $400 million from Saudi club<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea that [Messi] is going to play in MLS is phenomenal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Messi\u2019s former team, Barcelona FC, and Saudi Arabia\u2019s Al-Hilal were reportedly interested in signing the Argentina World Cup winner.<\/p>\n

While some big-name overseas players have come to MLS to wind down their careers, Wynalda believes the 35-year-old Messi is still hungry to perform and achieve. \u201cHe\u2019s still a competitor, he still wants to play,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s not 39 years old, he\u2019s still able to run and play, he\u2019s still talking about playing in [the] 2026 [World Cup].\u201d<\/p>\n

The timing of Messi\u2019s intended move to Miami certainly fits in well with the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n

Wynalda, who hosts the \u201cCounter Attack\u201d show on SiriusXM, draws parallels between Messi\u2019s expected arrival in MLS and hockey great Wayne Gretzky\u2019s famous move from the Edmonton Oilers to the L.A. Kings in 1988. \u201cWhen Gretzky came to L.A., he changed the way everybody looked at the NHL,\u201d he told MarketWatch. \u201cL.A. was a way for him to not just build his own brand and finish the story, but also build the NHL \u2014 when the L.A. Kings played on the road, it was the hottest ticket in town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related<\/strong>: How Messi fits into Apple\u2019s new strategy<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of similarities in how much [Gretzky and Messi] mean to their sport and how much they transcend the sport,\u201d Wynalda added. \u201cI think [Messi\u2019s] going to be surprised by the spotlight he has created.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since making his debut for Barcelona in 2004, Messi has played all his club football in Europe. The seven-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner became a global icon during his time at the Camp Nou, before joining Paris Saint Germain in a blaze of publicity in 2021. The forward has scored 806 goals in 1,027\u00a0games for the two European giants and the Argentina national team, who he led to success at last year\u2019s Qatar World Cup.<\/p>\n

Former U.S. national team midfielder Cobi Jones described Messi\u2019s intention to join Inter Miami as \u201cextremely significant\u201d in an interview with MarketWatch on Thursday. \u201cYou can see the world reacting to it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Jones, who is the most capped U.S. men\u2019s national team player, played in the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and also racked up more than 300 appearances for the L.A. Galaxy of MLS. He is currently an MLS game analyst and broadcaster for Apple TV+.<\/p>\n

If Messi\u2019s Inter Miami deal is completed, Jones expects the profile of MLS to rise. \u201cIt brings more attention to MLS, and what MLS is trying to do,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019re getting bigger, more exposure, it\u2019s getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also see<\/strong>: Apple scores MLS streaming rights for a reported $250 million a year<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be game-changing,\u201d he added. \u201cIf this happens, I would be excited to see how it changes the game over the next five years in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2007, when England star David Beckham joined the L.A. Galaxy from Real Madrid, the league had just 13 teams, many of which were playing in American football stadiums. Since then, MLS has grown to 29 teams, the majority of which play in soccer-specific stadiums. Last year Apple Inc.
\n AAPL,
\n +1.55%<\/bg-quote>
\n and MLS announced a multiyear streaming-rights deal for matches, which are available exclusively on Apple TV+.<\/p>\n

But to continue its growth, MLS needs to generate interest from people outside of soccer, according to Jones. \u201cThat builds your fanbase and [the] next generation of fans and future soccer players,\u201d he told MarketWatch. \u201cIt just builds the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional reporting from Weston Blasi<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Lionel Messi announced his intention to join Inter Miami CF earlier this week, the Argentine star ended years of speculation about the next chapter in his career after departing French giant Paris Saint-Germain. The announcement also thrust Major League Soccer firmly into the spotlight. \u201cAlthough work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239],"tags":[83],"class_list":["post-20273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investing","tag-featured","post_format-post-format-video"],"yoast_head":"\nMessi\u2019s Inter Miami move \u2018phenomenal\u2019 and \u2018game-changing\u2019 for MLS, say former U.S. soccer stars | iFintechWorld<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Lionel Messi announced his intention to join Inter Miami CF earlier this week, the Argentine star ended years of speculation about the next chapter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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