Lionel Messi is the greatest living football player. He might be the best ever to have played the world’s most popular game. He led Argentina to a World Cup win in 2022.
Last spring, Messi finished the 2022–23 season in France. He played for Paris Saint-Germain. As his contract with that team neared its end, fans wondered where he’d go next. Would he return to Barcelona? That team signed him when he was a 13-year-old soccer phenom. Or would he join other soccer superstars in a new league in Saudi Arabia? “I had several options,” he says. “I had to analyze them.” Messi shocked the globe by announcing in June 2023 that he would sign with Inter Miami.
American audiences are eager to see Messi play, whether live or on TV. On July 21, 2023, he made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut. It was for the last-place U.S. team, Inter Miami. In the final seconds, Messi got a free kick. He placed the ball on the grass. Celebrities were in the crowd. But no eyes were on them. Messi kicked the ball. It curved around the opposing players. It sailed past the arms of the goalkeeper. It flew into the net. Game over! Inter Miami had won. But Inter Miami did not make last season’s playoffs. The team was too far behind before Messi arrived. Even so, the Messi effect is at its peak.
The U.S. is a host of the 2026 World Cup. The U.S. team is thought to be a strong contender (竞争者). With the attention Messi has brought to the sport, America should do well against the world’s best for decades to come. “This is one of those big tipping (预言…获胜) moments,” says Dan Hunt. He’s president of the MLS team FC Dallas. “Our player pool from ages 17 to 35 is the greatest player pool we’ve ever had in the history of U.S. soccer. If you think about our player pool from ages 0 to 16, it’s going to be twice as good, because we have Messi inspiring them.”
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