Sport
Messi is a great starting point for a new era of American Soccer
The biggest irony in football is that nostalgia and narrative, two things that make the game so magical and popular, can be coerced, and potentially bought. Marketing means the business side of football can manipulate everything to control the game, regardless of its true intentions.
That is exactly what happened with the European Super League in spring of 2021. Its premise was designed for a select group of clubs to gain control and financial benefits from the structure of the game. Such an idea was never going to gain much support from the wider game, particularly the fans, who at the time were showing how crucial they were in their absence from stadia during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It meant the plan needed to be marketed, and that required tapping into the romanticism of the game, specifically the idea of how the best clubs in the world playing each other more regularly would be a mouth-watering prospect. The issue was, the matches they were purporting to want to emulate were Champions League games, the very competition the Super League wanted to replace.
Even more ironic was the reason such games have the sort of standing they do is because of the jeopardy involved; two elite clubs throwing everything at each other in a huge semi final is not something that can be recreated every other week. What was really being proposed was a glorified version of a pre-season tournament.
Whilst on a completely different scale; Inter Miami have employed a similar approach to their transfer business in recent weeks. The Major League Soccer club are part owned by David Beckham, whose involvement in the club was stipulated right back when he joined LA Galaxy as a player back in 2007. The entire reason for signing Beckham up to MLS, in order to put a global icon in front of the cameras as a brand ambassador, has extended to Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all time, joining Inter Miami.
Again, the point is to grow the league. Messi is the face of football, and even at 35, it is a huge coup for MLS to lure him to the league. Just over six months ago, he was lifting the World Cup for Argentina in Qatar and as such will be in a strong position to win the Ballon d’Or. That in itself shows the sense behind this move; Messi would still be able to reach his very best level in the States, and it stands to reason that the league itself has bandied together to help make the move happen. It will be a hugely bloody nose for the Saudi Arabian Pro League for quite some time, give the similar aims for football in their country to grow too.
Signing a player like Messi has to come with a greater plan; if MLS is going to grow in quality as well as exposure, it may have a tough tint given the backing of the Saudi project. This should be phase two to build on what Beckham started.
There was cautious optimism that it would change the face of soccer in America 16 years ago. While it didn’t put it on the map in terms of making it competitive with Europe’s best, it made enough people take notice and helped create a line of very talented American players who have made waves at the top of the European game, such as Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie.
MLS will now want Messi to help them bridge the gap on the pitch. But Inter Miami’s plan to sign a number of his ex-Barcelona teammates, having already agreed a deal with Sergio Busquets. Jordi Alba has been heavily linked, as has Andres Iniesta following his departure from Vissel Kobe in Japan. Tata Martino, who was Barca coach in the 2013-14 season, but has also won the MLS Cup with Atlanta United, has been hired as the new coach.
Whilst it would be extremely exciting and nostalgic for fans around the world to see Messi teaming up with players from his past, it may not have the desired effect for the league itself, or Inter Miami. The club are currently bottom of the Eastern Conference, and relying on too many former superstars in the twilight of their careers won’t have a long-term impact for them.
New York City FC, as a new franchise less than a decade ago, tried a similar approach with Frank Lampard, David Villa and Andrea Pirlo with mixed results. Messi is a brilliant starting point for a new era of American soccer, but his legacy must lead to more substance over style.
