Pele ➡️ Beckham ➡️ Messi Messi’s arrival in the U.S. will be the latest in what has been a trend of transformational footballers advancing American soccer. MLSist, jeffrueter and FelipeCar on the impact Lionel Messi will make in the MLS, and beyond:
It took a lot more than a friendly invitation to get the Argentine superstar stateside, though. Miami and MLS have laid out a king’s ransom for the recentchampion, who many peg as the greatest player in the history of the game. Messi will reportedly get a piece of MLS and Apple’s broadcast partnership, and Adidas, among the league’s oldest sponsors, is also said to be chipping in to bring the Argentine to Miami. Undoubtedly, he will be the highest-paid player in the history of MLS.
Across MLS, others mirrored his sentiment. The league’s commissioner, Don Garber, said in March that the league was prepared to get creative to lure Messi, a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Pele’s mere presence with the Cosmos certainly had some short-term benefits: the club’s average home attendance increased from around 3,500 fans in 1975 to around 45,000 by the time of his departure after the 1977 season. Three times, the Cosmos drew over 70,000 fans to watch Pele at Giants Stadium, an unheard of feat in that era.
Pele’s impact, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was generational. In the 1970s, when Cosmos president Clive Toye approached the Brazilian in an attempt to lure him to the States, he made a fairly simple pitch — you’ve won many games and many trophies. In the United States, you have a chance to win an entire country over and be a soccer missionary.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Messi to join Inter MiamiArgentina legend Lionel Messi will join MLS side Inter Miami after leaving Paris St-Germain.
Read more »
MLS, Inter Miami pushing to land Messi over BarcelonaBREAKING: Major League Soccer and Inter Miami are solidifying details around the potential signing Lionel Messi. One source briefed on the league discussions said MLS executives were told Messi’s decision is down to Inter Miami or Barcelona. Details:
Read more »
Lionel Messi reveals why he's rejected Barcelona and joined Inter MiamiBREAKING: Lionel Messi has revealed why he rejected a move back to his former club Barcelona, and opted to join Inter Miami instead.
Read more »
Lionel Messi to join David Beckham's Inter MiamiFootball superstar Lionel Messi will join David Beckham's club Inter Miami.
Read more »
Lionel Messi joins David Beckham's Inter Miami to end Barcelona reunion talkLionel Messi will be playing in MLS next season with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner joining David Beckham’s Inter Miami. It was recently announced the 35-year-old would be leaving Pa…
Read more »