MIAMI – Lionel Messi’s announcement that he plans to take his talents to South Beach sent prices for Inter Miami tickets on the secondary market into the stratosphere on Wednesday, as fans clamoured for a chance to see the Argentinian great play in the United States.
The cost of tickets surged following reports early on Wednesday that he planned to join the David Beckham-owned Major League Soccer (MLS) side, which he later confirmed.
The forward’s first game could be on July 21 when Miami host Cruz Azul in their Leagues Cup opener in Fort Lauderdale.
The lowest price for a ticket for that game on Tuesday was a mere US$29 (S$39), but on Wednesday the price rocketed to US$329 – a 1,034 per cent jump – according to TickPick.
Messi’s debut in a Miami jersey will likely be the most expensive MLS game on record, Kyle Zorn, brand manager at TickPick, told Reuters.
“We saw an almost instantaneous jump in Inter Miami ticket prices when the word got out that Messi was leaning towards joining the club,” Zorn said.
“Given his status as arguably the greatest player in the world, every time Inter Miami plays on the road, we’re going to see record-breaking ticket prices.”
Miami’s road games that saw the biggest jump in prices included the team’s visit to the New York Red Bulls on Aug 26 (1,236 per cent increase) and their trip to Southern California to face LAFC on Sept 3 (420 per cent increase), the ticket retailer added.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have wished Messi good luck following his decision, despite receiving a “proposal” to return to his former club.
The Spanish giants said in a statement that Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, had informed the club on Monday of his decision to move to America instead of returning to Spain.
“Barcelona president (Joan) Laporta understood and respected Messi’s decision to want to compete in a league with fewer demands, further away from the spotlight and the pressure he has been subject to in recent years,” the La Liga side said.
Messi was linked to a return to Barca, as well as Saudi Arabia, after playing his final game for Paris Saint-Germain over the weekend.
However, the Spanish champions had their hands tied due to La Liga’s financial fair play rules.
“If Barcelona didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more about my family,” Messi said on Wednesday.
“I was looking forward to coming back, but in the end it didn’t happen.” REUTERS
