Lionel Messi can see MLS on par with top Euro leagues soon

Major League Soccer may have gotten its biggest endorsement yet from the world’s best player, Lionel Messi. 

The soccer superstar did his first round of media appearances on Thursday since arriving in the United States to join Inter Miami.

While MLS has always been viewed as lower tier compared to some of soccer’s greatest leagues around the world, Messi told ESPN that he doesn’t think the U.S.’s top domestic league is too far off from being on par with Europe’s. 

“I think it has every opportunity to do so,” Messi said. “That growth depends a lot on the league. It’s an ideal moment to grow. There are important competitions upcoming that will be played in this country [2024 Copa America, 2026 FIFA World Cup].

“It’s time for the league to make that leap and finish growing, finish looking for what it’s been seeking for a while. Everything is in place here to witness top-level football because of the country, the structure, a bunch of things.”

Messi’s move to the United States to join inter Miami had been considered a coup for MLS and a chance to grow soccer in the county while simultaneously growing MLS’s profile around the world. 

The Argentine noted how he’s seen the sport’s popularity increase over the last year and gave the credit to the U.S. men’s national team. 

“It has shown that in the results the USMNT have had lately. It was a great squad in the World Cup, too. Very competitive. It held its own against every team it had on its slate. It’s getting closer and closer to the level of Mexican soccer,” Messi said. 

“This Leagues Cup demonstrated that. There is no Mexican team in the final. While you can question a lot of things, the reality is all the matches were very close, very competitive. Anybody can beat anyone else. I get the sense that the same happens in [MLS]. It’s a competitive one where anybody can win. One where the home team is strong, and it’s difficult to win away. I’ll still be getting to know a little bit of that after my first match.”

Inter Miami is getting ready to play in the championship game of the Leagues Cup on Saturday against fellow MLS club Nashville SC.

The tournament pits clubs from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX against one another. 

The MLS season will resume next week and Messi will make his regular-season debut with Inter Miami in the tri-state area when the New York Red Bulls host Miami on Aug. 26. 

Messi has been adapting to his new home nicely.

On the field, he has scored nine goals in six Leagues Cup matches and off of it he has enjoyed life in Miami. 

“Today I can tell you that I am very happy with the decision we made,” Messi said through a translator during a press conference held in Florida, according to USA Today. 

“I’m happy enjoying this new stage, and I’m enjoying the experience of living here in this country.”

He also addressed his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain and how the transition to the United States had been much different. 

“When I went to Paris, it wasn’t something I wanted,” Messi said. “I didn’t want to leave Barcelona. In some ways, it was one day to the next. I had to adapt to somewhere completely different from where I lived all my life. But that’s totally different from my experience here.”