Lionel Messi at his Inter Miami presentation (AP)
The avergae ticket price though to watch Lionel Messi play his first match for Inter Miami is around 48 USD.
Ticket prices to watch Lionel Messi play his first-ever match in an Inter Miami shirt have gone through the roof with CNN reporting that tickets for Friday’s Leagues Cup match are selling for as much as $110,000 on a ticket reselling website.
There are cheaper options available too, with the average price being $48. Prices for Messi’s MLS debut on August 20 against Charlotte are averaging $288, according to the CNN report.
The Argentine superstar was presented by Inter Miami in their pink No. 10 jersey, which will likely be bought again by millions of fans over the coming weeks and months, on Sunday.
“I’m sure we’re going to have many wonderful experiences,” Messi said at his unveiling.
“I’m very much moved to be here in Miami, to be with you,” Messi said. “I want to thank you, all of you, on behalf of my family, for the kindness that you have given me.”
Messi though has the task of lifting Inter Miami, who currently have the fewest points in the MLS standings and is mired in an 11-game winless streak.
Messi will have his first official training session on Tuesday and, if all goes to plan, is expected to play on Friday in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul.
Messi, a World Cup champion for Argentina and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best player in a given year, is joining a club that has the fewest points in MLS and is mired in an 11-match winless streak. Inter Miami opened the season with two wins and has gone 3-14-3 since. It has 12 MLS matches left this season, and is 12 points out of a playoff spot — so it’s going to take a ton of wins just to have a chance.
The club previously announced that Messi’s deal will be for two and half seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually — putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone. There are other factors, the value of which isn’t known.
Messi’s greatness is not in question; he led Argentina to the World Cup this past December and is still generally considered one of the very best goalscorers in the world — if not the best.
(With inputs from Agencies)
