The Story and Cards of the GOAT Stateside
2024 Topps MLS Superstars World’s Greatest Autograph Jumbo Relic #WGAR-LM Superfractor Lionel Messi /1
Lionel Messi is not just one of the most famous athletes the world has ever seen; he’s one of the most famous people who has ever walked the planet. The Argentina and FC Barcelona legend spent almost two decades piling up trophies and setting records. In 2023, he decided to finish his playing career with Inter Miami FC of the MLS.
The move has paid off more than the team and league could have hoped. Ticket sales and viewership are at an all-time high; Messi has top-seeded Miami in the hunt for its first MLS Cup. Let’s take a look at Messi’s legendary turn stateside.
Messi’s Move to MLS
2023 Topps Major League Soccer Chrome #58 Image Variation Superfractor Lionel Messi /1
Negotiations to bring Messi to MLS were lengthy, beginning before Messi had played in the 2022 World Cup. In an interview, Inter Miami Managing Owner Jorge Mas said, “We’re competing for the best player in the world with the powerhouses of global soccer… I had to try to find what makes Lionel Messi tick. What can we offer that someone else can’t?”
In the end, Mas believed that more than anything else, “the opportunity to change the sport” gave Miami and MLS the edge they needed to complete the biggest signing in league history.
An Electric Debut Season
2023 Topps Major League Soccer Chrome Layers #TCL-5 Lionel Messi /1
Messi’s debut brought over 100,000 new subscribers to the league’s streaming service. The day before, there were just over 6,000 signups. Messi Mania swept through Miami. For good measure, Messi scored a last-minute winning goal in his first game. He scored nine goals in his first six games. In October, he would take home his eighth Ballon d’Or. For the first time, the world’s best was in the MLS. He was named TIME Athlete of the Year.
An Encore Worthy of the GOAT
2024 MLS TOPPS NOW® Card 147 Lionel Messi
For his second act, Messi led Inter Miami FC to the greatest regular season of all time, scoring a hat-trick on the season’s final day to help the team set the single-season MLS points record. Messi scored 20 goals to go along with 16 assists, despite starting only fifteen games. He will likely be named MVP.
Making His Mark In America
2024 MLS TOPPS NOW® Card 128 Steph Curry/Lionel Messi
As time goes on, and the goals keep flying in, Messi’s impact on American sports and culture only continues to grow. If his boss, David Beckham, was a pioneer in this regard, the combination of Messi’s overwhelming popularity and continued ability to dominate the game has sent this phenomenon into overdrive.
Building the Future of American Soccer
2024 MLS TOPPS NOW® Card 129 Lionel Messi/Cavan Sullivan
Of Messi, Beckham said, “Someone like that changes the game… someone like that inspires another generation of soccer players.” He couldn’t be more right. MLS is more popular than ever, but beyond the unprecedented success of the league itself, MLS and American soccer have seen fantastic development of the next generation of stars.
The best example is American prodigy Cavan Sullivan, who debuted for Philadelphia at 14. After a 3-1 Miami win over Philadelphia, TOPPS NOW captured the two players meeting. Sullivan posted on Instagram, “Such an honor to meet my idol,” and posted a picture of him as a child, standing next to the Ballon d’Or trophy and a poster of Messi.
But Wait, There’s More?
2023 Topps Major League Soccer Chrome Big City Strikers #BCS-7 Aqua Refractor Lionel Messi /99
Messi’s quest for more silverware continues in this season’s battle for the MLS Cup. He’s already announced Miami will be his last club, and most speculation suggests he’ll be back next season, win or lose.
The soccer world waits to see if Messi will play into 2026, when he could lead Argentina at the World Cup one last time. A World Cup held on this side of the pond, with the final in New York, would make for a fitting end to a career in which his final chapter will surely include the indelible impact he has made on the MLS and soccer in America.
