Less than a year after helping Argentina win the World Cup, Lionel Messi will be playing in the United States.
According to Goal.com, Messi rebuffed offers from a Saudi Arabian team and his former club Barcelona and instead will sign with Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer.
Per The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio, Messi’s deal includes profit sharing with Apple and a deal with Adidas.
Messi’s contract with his current club, Paris Saint-Germain, expires June 30, per Goal.com, so when will he be headed to the U.S.? Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Messi, 35, will join Inter Miami in August.
That means his first MLS game will be Aug. 20 against Charlotte at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
After that, Miami will play at the New York Red Bulls (Aug. 26), then return home to play Nashville (Aug. 30).
Inter Miami and Messi will play at LAFC on Sept. 3 before playing host to Sporting Kansas City on Sept. 9. Unfortunately, that will be the only time Sporting KC plays Inter Miami this season, so Messi won’t be appearing at Children’s Mercy Park.
Other road games for Messi and Miami this season: Atlanta (Sept. 16), Orlando (Sept. 24), Chicago (Oct. 4) and Charlotte (Oct. 21).
For fans in KC who want to see Messi, it appears Chicago will be the closest destination.
News of Messi’s decision to join Inter Miami made an immediate impact on the secondary ticket market. A search on Ticketmaster’s website Wednesday morning showed lower level end zone seats were available for the Fire-Inter game for $43.
Within 30 minutes, the price for those seats had spiked to more than $200.
Call it the Messi Bump, and you can expect to see more of it around Major League Soccer.
