Upon Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, his influence was both immediate and deep. The league witnessed a surge in average attendance, by approximately 20%. Meanwhile, global streaming figures experienced an overnight doubling, and Inter Miami’s social media presence skyrocketed as supporters from “Fiji to Anchorage” proudly donned the club’s now-iconic pink jersey.

The transformation was so significant that Xavi Asensi, the club’s chief business officer, referred to it as a “wonderful miracle,” highlighting Messi’s role in elevating MLS into the global sports conversation.

However, former USMNT and Inter Miami player Brek Shea has reignited the enduring debate surrounding the sport’s two legendary figures, positing that Cristiano Ronaldo would have made an even more significant cultural impact in the United States, as reported by USMNT Only on X.

“No disrespect to Messi, but Messi seems like a homebody. He’s very quiet. He doesn’t speak the language quite well yet,” Shea observed. He added that his opinion was unrelated to on-field performance, where Messi has transformed the league’s record books, securing consecutive MVP awards and guiding Inter Miami to an MLS Cup title.

“So I just think Ronaldo seems more outgoing, does more things in the public eye. So I think just on that, speaking the language, doing interviews, I think would have just automatically had a bigger impact.”

Shea elaborated, stating, “I’m strictly speaking off field stuff. I don’t know if he would have put up the same numbers, but a bigger impact? Yes, he would have.” The vast extent of Messi’s commercial influence, however, renders Shea’s hypothetical scenario a difficult concept to fully consider.

Lionel Messi has become America’s favorite in no time

A poll by SSRS reveals that Lionel Messi has emerged as America’s favorite athlete, surpassing other stars such as LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes. He is the first soccer player and the first international athlete to achieve this prestigious ranking. His presence has reportedly attracted an additional 10 million fans who now choose an MLS player as their favorite athlete, while also generating hundreds of millions in new revenue for the league.

As Beak Shea contemplates the potential off-field influence of Cristiano Ronaldo, it is Messi who has undeniably transformed Inter Miami matches into a massive celebrity magnet, drawing in superstars such as Will Smith, LeBron James, Kim Kardashian, and Serena Williams. Nonetheless, Messi’s decision to steer clear of the media has garnered support from none other than the commissioner of MLS.

Recently, during a questioning from reporter Franco Panizo regarding Messi’s engagement with the media, Commissioner Don Garber offered a thoughtful reply, noting, “The international football community just thinks about their relationship with the media very differently than the North American media does. It’s just the difference in the DNA of our leagues here and the leagues abroad. That’s something we have to manage.”

Garber presented this not as a justification but as a challenge that MLS persistently encounters, highlighting the diverse backgrounds of players and coaches.

“I do believe that all of our players and all of our coaches, if we want our league to be more popular, are going to have to embrace access in ways that are going to be similar to what happens in the NBA and in the NFL, and in other domestic leagues. But that’s a cultural education, and we’re just going to continue to work for it. But, you know, it’s just one of the things we’ve got to manage through,” he remarked.

Messi undoubtedly represents a significant asset for a league such as the MLS. The Argentine prefers to maintain his privacy, shunning excessive attention from the press. While the focus often falls on players with loud personalities, the impact of a player like Messi on the game is simply beyond comprehension.