Major League Soccer is on the brink of welcoming its biggest star ever, with Lionel Messi set to join Inter Miami later this summer.
It’s the highest-profile signing in MLS history and a seismic moment for the league from both a financial and competition perspective.
The Portland Timbers won’t face Inter Miami this year. But the buzz around MLS training grounds, including theirs, is palpable. T2 players could be overheard talking about Messi on Thursday, and both Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese and veteran midfielder Sebastián Blanco beamed when asked about it.
Years ago, Savarese had a chance to watch Messi and FC Barcelona train for a week under then-manager Pep Guardiola. Seeing how the team — and Messi — trained left an impact on him, and Savarese’s decades in MLS shape his perspective on what this moment means.
“It’s great news,” Savarese said. “It’s the best player of this generation coming to Major League Soccer after winning the World Cup, coming from (Paris Saint-Germain) and going to a key city. I think the effect of Messi, we don’t even know now how far it will go. We’ve seen the effect in the past of players like Pelé when he came in the NASL, and David Beckham because he marked a before and after for Major League Soccer. Messi is going to have the same impact.”
Reports indicate Messi’s unprecedented deal with Miami includes profit-sharing with the league’s streaming partner, Apple, along with apparel partner Adidas. Plus, Messi — with hundreds of millions in career earnings from both playing contracts and sponsorships — will reportedly have the option to purchase a stake in an MLS club upon his retirement.
Messi’s anticipated arrival in late July already has every road game for Inter Miami beyond that point sold out. Resellers are listing some tickets in the thousands of dollars.
Questions remain about how Messi’s deal will fit within the MLS salary parameters and adhere to the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and its players’ union. Blanco joked Thursday that MLS “can do whatever they want” and “changed the rules” in order to lure Messi to the league, but he is excited for Messi to arrive.
“It’s fantastic,” Blanco said. “Many stars play here in MLS, but it’s no one like Messi. The best player in history. Many people that talk bad about the league, about the players who come here, they celebrate that Messi comes here. It’s fantastic for the league and for the teams.”
The Portland Timbers’ Sebastian Blanco celebrates a goal in the first half of a U.S. Open Cup tournament match against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at Providence Park in Portland.Naji Saker for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Blanco, 35, is from Argentina and is the same age as Messi. In December, he and his family celebrated Argentina’s first World Cup title with millions of others in the streets of Buenos Aires, many of whom were chanting Messi’s name. “La Pulga” is a godlike figure to many Argentines.
Blanco is a fan, and he has a signed jersey from Messi as well as Diego Maradona, who coached Blanco at one point with the Argentina national team. But as a fellow professional soccer player, Blanco’s reverence exists in a more practical sense: Messi’s professionalism, competitive drive and ability to inspire people are all traits Blanco aspires to himself.
“Unfortunately, we don’t play them this year, and I don’t have a contract for next year,” Blanco said. “So, we don’t know what will happen. It’s very close. Hopefully we can see him. It’s a pleasure to have him in this league. He deserves everything that happens around him. His family is amazing, he is amazing as a person and a player. He brought all of the happiness to our country in a difficult moment. All people around the world love him.”
-- Ryan Clarke, rclarke@oregonian.com, Twitter: @RyanTClarke