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Lionel Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer (MLS) has transformed American football like never before. The World Cup-winning star with Argentina, Messi, joined the MLS side Inter Miami on a free transfer this summer following a fallout with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) earlier in April. Upon making his debut with the American side in July, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner (in three matches) scored five goals, including two braces, resultinginthree wins.

In an exclusive chat with WION's Susan Tehrani, Dan Courtemanche – the Executive VP of Communications, MLS, shared his thoughts on how Messi has turned heads in North America regarding social media engagement, growth of soccer, footfalls at the venues and much more.

Starting with how his decision to join the Major League Soccer (MLS) impacted the overall picture, Dan said, “The great player in the world decided he wanted to come and play with Inter Miami in the MLS. That's clearly a seminal moment for the league and soccer in North America.”

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“We believe the magnitude of his decision cannot be overstated as it is a transformational moment, and we will see the difference in next three, five or ten years on how it changed the sport in the country,” Dan added.

When asked about if 2026 FIFA World Cup (to be co-hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico) had anything to do with Messi deciding to join the MLS instead of anywhere else despite lucrative offers, Dan said,“The World Cup in our country is going to serve as the rocket-fuel for the growth of soccer in three countries. That said, the World Cup was not the factor to sign Lionel Messi. We are hopeful that he continues to play for his national team, and we will see him here in 2026.”

Messi’s inclusion in MLS skyrockets growth of football in country

With several superstars in the past, including Pele, David Beckham, also plying their trades in the MLS, Messi’s inclusion contributes to league’s success. Dan said his addition accelerated the growth of football in the USA like never before.

“Pele led the foundation when he came to America in 1975. Fast forward 2007, David Beckham joined MLS - a relatively new league then, and then Messi comes this year. He's taken it to an entirely different level. He's accelerated the growth of our league and this sport in North America like nothing we have ever seen before,” he said.

Dan revealed how the social media numbers got influenced as well.

“Earlier, Inter Miami had a decent Instagram following (around 1 million) before Messi joined the club, and they are now at 13 million followers. We have seen the response on social media in his first couple of games. He's a global icon, and he's resonating,” MLS’ Executive VP added.

He added when Messi travels across USA (Since he played three home games so far), there are going to be packed stadiums everywhere.

“We knew that he was going to have an impact on the relevance of Inter Miami and Major League Soccer's popularity, and it translates to jersey sales. When he travels on the road, which he has not yet (since his first three games were at home), you will see packed stadiums in USA and Canada welcoming him to our league,” he added.

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