Messi's arrival is giving rise to dreams, challenging basketball and baseball in MLS

Messi's arrival is giving rise to dreams, challenging basketball and baseball in MLS

Messi in MLS(Getty)

 What Pelé did, what Beckham did, that's what Messi will have to do this time. Perhaps it is wrong to say that Messi needs to take a few more steps forward. The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by America. Before that, Messi is becoming a football icon in the United States. 

For a long time, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Brazil were his rivals. This time he will have to compete against popular sports like basketball, baseball, and rugby. His address was always in Europe's most popular clubs. This time he shoulders the responsibility of introducing an unfamiliar league. When Lionel Messi steps into Major League Soccer, everything may not change overnight. But he will start changing the world in his shadow. The galleries will be filled, television viewership will increase, and market share will grow. Inter Miami has undoubtedly ensured that a new football revolution is beginning in America. Pelé joined the New York Cosmos in 1975. David Beckham came to play for LA Galaxy in 2007. With the passes that Pelé increased and the crosses that Beckham delivered, Messi will have to score goals with those same balls. 

Former President of the American Morning Foundation, Sunil Gulati, says, "Comparing anything with Messi's inclusion in MLS is futile. He is one of the greatest footballers of all time. Winning the World Cup will bring Messi to Major League Soccer. It may not bring much profit for the expansion of American football. It's a colossal achievement.

" Pelé joined Cosmos at the age of 34. Beckham came at the age of 32. And Messi, at the age of 36, has gone to Miami. When Pelé came to Cosmos, there were only about 3,000 supporters of that soccer league in North America. After Pelé's arrival, 34,000 regular supporters used to come to watch games at the East Rutherford Stadium in New Jersey. Clive Toye, the manager of Cosmos who made Pelé sign, says, "Before Pelé, football did not have much presence in America. People didn't pay much attention. Pelé changed that. Messi is coming to America at a time when football in this country is quite popular. Messi will undoubtedly take that popularity even further."