With Lionel Messi having completed a sensational switch to the MLS to join Inter Miami, spectators will be itching to catch a glimpse of the icon in action in the coming months.
The clamour for tickets to see the Argentinian icon in action will likely reach fever pitch in the coming days and weeks, with the signing the most high-profile arrival in the league since David Beckham back in 2007. There is no doubt that singing a world-famous superstar will do Inter Miami's profile no harm around the world either.
It has been an eventful week for the franchise, with coach of two years Phil Neville having been sacked after a torrid run of form that left them rock bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference. However, signing a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner will go some way to boost the morale of the squad at the South Beach outfit and excitement is now building for Messi's arrival.
Messi will become an official Inter Miami player on July 5, which is the date when the league’s secondary transfer window opens. The next fixture on the Herons' schedule after this date is a clash against with D.C. United — managed by Wayne Rooney, no less —at Audi Field three days later, when Messi could make his first appearance.
Naturally, the demand for tickets to see the world-famous star has been extensive since Wednesday's landmark announcement, with tickets for this match having sold in their thousands overnight. On top of this, the prices of tickets that were available skyrocketed from the initial listing of $29 on Ticketmaster.
In fact, the uptake in ticket sales has been felt across the MLS, with the signing of Messi having seemingly captured the imaginations of the public at large across the States. Pointedly, sales and second-hand prices of tickets for matches have increased exponentially from Atlanta to Los Angeles to Chicago.
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According to The Athletic, the departing Paris Saint-Germain forward is expected to make his home debut for his new employers against Mexican outfit Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on July 21. Unsurprisingly, tickets for this momentous occasion have already sold out on Ticketmaster.
As per the report, the price of a ticket to see Messi turn out in Inter Miami colours for a first time was shown to be more expensive than a seat for Game 3 of the NBA Finals in the coastal city, on StubHub’s resale market. Already, it is clear that Messi Mania is taking hold stateside.
A transformative impact is to be expected both on and off the pitch at the DRV PNK Stadium, especially with Messi's arrival coming not too long after his storied triumph at the World Cup last year. Football is currently the fourth-most popular sport in the US but an overnight surge in interest in tickets for domestic fixtures after the announcement that the Barcelona legend would be moving to Florida demonstrates his star power.
