Lionel Messi’s Impact on the MLS: A Phenomenon Already Transforming the Game

• Lionel Messi recently announced he was joining MLS side Inter Miami
• The Argentine’s transfer decision has caused a frenzy in the US league
• The World Cup winner is set to make his Inter Miami debut next month

Argentine World Cup winner, Lionel Messi’s move to Inter Miami is yet to be finalised, but already his impact on Major League Soccer is being felt.

The MLS is no stranger to welcoming some of the sport’s biggest stars: David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, and even Pelé have played in the States.

However, it is possible Messi will have a greater influence on the sport in the US than any of the names that came before him.

As Philadelphia Union head coach, Jim Curtin said via NBC Sports:

“It’s the biggest day in probably MLS history.”

Messi's impact on MLS tickets

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Inter Miami has already benefitted from a huge boost in social media followers, while ticket prices across the league are soaring as fans eagerly await Messi’s first visit to their respective venues.

A question being asked is if the prices and level of interest are long-term sustainable. Kieran Maguire, a football finance lecturer at the University of Liverpool Management School, told CNN Sport he expected this to eventually flatten out again.

“To a certain extent, it’s similar to what we were seeing with the prices for Arsenal’s tickets for their final home match of the season,”

Maguire explained that when the Gunners were leading the Premier League last season, eight points clear of Manchester City, £50 tickets were selling online for up to £1,000.

“For those people who want to be able to say: ‘I was there at Lionel Messi’s first MLS game’, demand will exceed supply. He’s not playing at every ground in every week so I don’t see a huge ripple effect, and also I think there will be a sharp spike and then things will return to some form of normality, especially if he doesn’t transform things for them.”

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In the minutes after it was reported that Messi would be moving to the US, ticket prices for Inter Miami matches soared by more than 1,000%.

According to resale website, TickPick, the cheapest ticket for Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul on July 21 - the potential debut date for the Argentine - was just $29.

In the 24 hours after news of Messi’s pending move emerged, the cheapest ticket for the game was as much as $329, per TickPick, which is a surge of 1,034%.

The biggest increase, however, was for Inter Miami’s game against the New York Red Bulls, with ticket prices soaring by 1,236% for Messi’s first trip to the Big Apple in August.

There has been a similar impact on StubHub, which has seen sales for the team's games from July until the end of the season increase 28-fold since news of their new signing broke.

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Messi's transfer benefits other clubs

Other MLS teams have also enjoyed a boost in ticket sales.

Miami’s game away to Los Angeles FC has gone from the 15th highest-selling event in LAFC’s season, according to StubHub, to the second highest-selling event and could take the number one spot.

Vela issues warning to Messi

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Los Angeles FC star, Carlos Vela warning Lionel Messi after it was confirmed the Argentine superstar would join Inter Miami in the USA.

The LAFC player agreed that having the Argentine join the MLS was great news for the country’s footballing culture, but warned that an upset was not on the cards either.