Beside the grassy sprawl and glistening facilities that Inter Miami’s players call home, sits the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Every day, training plays out to the familiar rhythm of aircraft cruising in and out of the skies.
It’s a handy spot should any new signings fancy a short commute on their first day.
But still Inter Miami might struggle to give Lionel Messi the reception he was afforded in August 2021, when he first touched down at Le Bourget airport in north-east Paris and was met by wild scenes.
In less than two years, however, Messi waved goodbye to Paris Saint-Germain to the sound of heckles and howls of frustration.
There had been hopes that the Argentina legend – one of the greatest soccer players of all time – would take Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 to new heights. He left his mark – helping PSG add two league titles and legions of new social media followers, allowing French football to benefit financially from his star appeal.
Lionel Messi endured a mixed couple of years at Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Barcelona
The Argentina legend helped PSG win two league titles but also frustrated some supporters
Yet during those two years, Messi showed just how good he still is during the 2022 World Cup
Unfortunately, Messi also left a hole. A nagging sense of what could have been, a lingering disappointment at potential unfulfilled.
As French sports newspaper L’Equipe put it recently, ‘in the eyes of a certain number of supporters, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner went from hero to pariah.’
Anger bubbled over at Messi’s performances but also what he represented.
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All of which poses uncomfortable questions on South Beach. Amid all the excitement and expectations surrounding his arrival in MLS, which Lionel Messi will touch down in Miami?
At 36, does he still have the legs – and perhaps more crucially, the appetite – to leave MLS spellbound? Can his presence alone open new doors for soccer in this country? Or will fanfare ultimately give way to frustration once more?
We might not find out anytime soon. After all, in Paris, the honeymoon lasted a while.
Messi added even more star power at PSG, playing alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar
David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami, needs Messi to help his side climb the standings
If Messi succeeds, soccer in the United States will reach new levels of popularity
‘For maybe the first two or three months, it was like a dream,’ recalls Jose Barroso, who covered Messi for L’Equipe. ‘Nobody could imagine that one day Messi would sign with PSG.’
No one could have foreseen one of soccer’s greatest players winding up in Ligue 1. ‘It was a special time for him (too),’ Barosso says. But one beset by upheaval.
Barcelona had been his home since the age of 13; suddenly, simple things such as the school run became more difficult. In truth, he never wanted to leave Catalonia. He would have gone back this summer too. Instead, he has been forced to make alternative plans once more. There is, however, a crucial difference this time round. Despite his hero’s welcome, Messi is said to have landed in Paris with plans to blend into the PSG squad.
‘When he arrived many players in the dressing room were surprised at how he behaved because he was in his corner… a shy guy, like a teenager,’ Barroso says.
They thought maybe this superstar, the captain of Argentina, the beating heart of Barcelona, would expect special treatment. Instead, in Messi’s mind, he was the outsider who needed to fit in, even to help the future of PSG, Kylian Mbappe. It was never going to be that simple, of course. PSG gained more than 25million social media followers in the month after his arrival. Away games became even more of a travelling circus, too. As someone put it: ‘Messi was the cherry on the cake.’
The 36-year-old has yet to arrive in the US but in the 24 hours following his decision to join MLS, Inter Miami gained more than 5m Instagram followers – from roughly 1m to 6.1m. Their follower count is now at 9m.
Messi was booed and heckled by some PSG supporters during his two-year stay in France
And yet when he joined PSG, the team’s ardent fanbase were euphoric at his arrival
Thankfully, Messi is thought to be more ready to play ambassador in America. He knows his role; he has done it for years with Argentina and Barcelona. And crucially, MLS want him to be a beacon, too. In Paris, neither Messi nor many of PSG’s supporters wanted another expensive poster boy for soccer’s ‘Harlem Globetrotters’. That wasn’t the players fault but that didn’t save him, either.
Particularly when their pursuit of the Champions League – the mirage around which everything orbits at PSG – ended at the last-16 stage in each of Messi’s two seasons. Much of the abuse that rained down from the stands was not necessarily about Messi himself. ‘But against the symbol that he was – of the policy of all-stars,’ Barroso says. ‘Many experienced fans were fed up with that.’
Messi took it to heart, though, and struggled to brush it off.
His mid-season trip to Saudi Arabia back in May, which prompted more criticism and a sanction from the club, proved the final straw. Messi was jeered on his final appearance. The 36-year-old is said to have felt singled out and ready to pack it in before time.
It all made for a miserable end to a spell that had brought some highlights. Particularly in the first half of last season, when Messi worked himself into prime shape for the World Cup. He ended the campaign with more assists than anyone else and was voted the best foreign player in Ligue 1. Oh, and he collected a winners’ medal from Qatar.
Messi’s best spell with Paris Saint-Germain came during the first half of last season
The 36-year-old – pictured kissing the trophy – then led Argentina to glory at the World Cup
In Paris, and on the biggest stage, Messi proved that – even at his age – his technical genius remains. So does his ability to read the game and bend it to his will. Fans in Miami might just have to be patient with Messi’s body. These days, the 36-year-old plays much of the game at walking pace – literally – and that frustrated some supporters in France.
They could not accept that, these days, the Argentina icon cannot not dribble like he once did. That pace and explosiveness had begun to desert him. That Messi might have to pick his moments. That walking might be more than a sign of apathy.
Coaches in Paris belatedly realized that Messi could not cope with the physical demands of the right wing. And so he moved inside and his best football was played nominally at No 10 but normally in that right half-space where his left foot can still unpick any defense.
Hence why his arrival ushered in a new era for Ligue 1’s appeal.
PSG’s sponsorship revenue rocketed, Barroso says at least five new countries – including the big markets of Japan and India – signed deals to broadcast French football.
No doubt his move to MLS will take soccer in this country to uncharted waters. What isn’t yet clear? What Messi will be able to produce in front of all those extra eyeballs.
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