Last year, international soccer star Lionel Messi debuted at the MLS soccer club, Inter Miami, which captivated the attention of not only soccer fans but the entire world. With his debut, a total of 3.5 billion viewers watched him score a goal against club, Cruz Azul. With just Messi, the overall popularity of the MLS has skyrocketed, as well as ticket sales overall.
Along with these massive changes, comes the signing of some very memorable and valuable players. Recently, Inter Miami has signed former Barcelona players Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba. Along with Messi, the topic of discussion is that Inter Miami is becoming a reunion for old teammates and a rebirth of the iconic lineup.
So what is the reaction to Inter Miami’s recent changes? So far a lot of excitement has come with the changes, as it is being called a “Barcelona Reunion.” Although the idea has to be brought up, are the changes strictly publicity? Or would it be beneficial for Inter Miamis lineup, either way how does affect the MLS?
OHS Benjamin Sobecki said “it’s cool to see players that have build a strong bond to play with each other one last time before they retire”.
Solely having Messi on any team brings huge amounts of publicity, and creating a lineup of iconic players not only from his prime era but also former teammates will without a doubt lure in fans of soccer everywhere. Even if it is exciting to see many former Barcelona players on a team again, it is mostly a form of promotion for the club.
With other great options for forwards in the MLS, as well as Inter Miami’s resources to sign potential great players, the use of these players is not as practical, since they are past their best performance.
Regardless if it was used for publicity or not, it is still very intresting to see former Barcelona teammates play together once again. With this just being the beginning, seeing the memorable teammates on the pitch can make for some very entertaining games.
Along with that, it allows for a form of nostalgia to come from that era, and to see it again before most of these players retire is a good way to end their story.
Lionel Messi and his old team-mates joining Inter Miami would bring more competition to the MLS. As we can see great players getting to their final stages before retirement play at a whole complete style of playing. Major League Soccer hasn’t been so long since it was founded like European soccer. Fans from around the world have been mostly watching European soccer.
With Messi arriving in Miami is a different structure and style of play. He’s going to need to adapt if he wants to keep winning trophies. Playing in Europe for 22 years and getting used to the players as they play rough and the moving of the ball is so much quicker has allowed him to be at the top every year. The hunger and wanting to prove that MLS is a great league can put some pressure on Messi.
I am Enrique Salas-Aguirre a senior at Oswego High School, this year would be my first with 42Fifty. I excited to start writing and publishing my ideas and contribute my part in the 42Fifty team. I enjoy writing opinion pieces the most although I am open to all types. I like listening and making music, my favorite genre at the moment is R&B. I train weight lifting outside of school and plan to compete some day. Overall, I am excited to contribute my piece to the site, and hopefully leave a significant mark in my short time here. 🙂
