Major League Soccer and Inter Miami really pulled it off.
Lionel Messi, the global soccer icon, announced Wednesday that he intends to join the MLS club this summer. In doing so, he spurned the advances of Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal - and their gargantuan salary package - and also decided not to keep waiting for Barcelona to find the right financial formula to make his romantic return a reality.
Twitter went wild on a whirlwind day. Here are some of the best reactions:
Taking his talents to South Beach
Naturally, the jokes were flying ...
Messi mood pic.twitter.com/ZtpACKkqmD
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 7, 2023
We were *this* close to seeing Phil Neville coach Lionel Messi.
— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) June 7, 2023
MLS managers realizing they’re about to trot out a 28 year old 2nd year player out of college soccer making $82,000 per year against Lionel Messi pic.twitter.com/m7A5YZzLZo
— MLS Buzz (@MLS_Buzz) June 6, 2023
February: Apple TV pays $2.5 billion for MLS broadcast rights
— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) June 7, 2023
June: Messi signs for Inter Miami
Tim Cook always knows
pic.twitter.com/1yLNbxSpLu
Inter Miami now have the opportunity to do one of the funniest things in football history.
— Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven) June 7, 2023
Hire Big Sam
Feels bigger than Schweinsteiger to Chicago
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) June 7, 2023
You have to wonder if Barcelona and/or Saudi could still turn this whole thing around by showing Messi a list of the flight times between various M.L.S. cities and south Florida.
— Andrew Das (@AndrewDasNYT) June 7, 2023
The Messi Effect
It didn't take long to see the impact of the Argentine's decision ...
Inter Miami has added 1 million Instagram followers today.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 7, 2023
The team's audience has literally doubled since this morning. pic.twitter.com/fpnsOZWG0N
Tickets for the Inter Miami vs. LAFC match on 9/3 have already increased from $81 to $422, per @TickPick.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 7, 2023
That's the Messi effect 📈 pic.twitter.com/kGs7JOFgej
By the numbers
Whenever Messi is involved, the stats are always mind-blowing ...
Lionel Messi will be the first World Cup Golden Ball winner to play in the MLS.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 7, 2023
Messi will also join Kaká, Hristo Stoichkov and Lothar Matthäus as the only Ballon d'Or winners to play in the MLS. pic.twitter.com/7CwdICHMwi
💔 - Lionel Messi🇦🇷 (704) and Cristiano Ronaldo🇵🇹 (701) have scored a combined total of 1,405 goals in all competitions for European clubs. Now, the Messi - Ronaldo era in Europe🇪🇺 has come to an end. #Messi #MLS
— Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) June 7, 2023
Lionel Messi picked Inter Miami and MLS over a billion dollars (!!!) over two years in Saudi Arabia. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/vIU7WOKPtl
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) June 7, 2023
100th - Lionel Messi's performance in the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season ranked near the best among all forwards in possession and attacking in the top 5 European leagues in the last 15 seasons, including in the 100th percentile in chances created and touches. Level. pic.twitter.com/zm2Fw4RM4i
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) June 7, 2023
Lionel Messi has scored more league goals in Europe's big five divisions leagues than any other player in the competitions' history.
— Squawka (@Squawka) June 7, 2023
◎ 578 games
◉ 496 goals
◎ 222 assists
Bienvenido a Miami. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/cNCug25R4U
The biggest winner of all?
David Beckham played this one perfectly ...
David Beckham's move to MLS is one of the best sports business deals ever:
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 7, 2023
• Earned $255M over 5 years
• Purchased Inter Miami for $25M
• Inter Miami is valued at $600M
And now they have Lionel Messi, which will push the club's valuation toward ~$1 billion.
Incredible 🤯 pic.twitter.com/BthRt6E4f9
