Lionel Messi has played just six games for Inter Miami, and his impact is quite noticeable.
Inter Miami, which has yet to lose since Messi joined the club last month, will play in Nashville on Saturday for a Leagues Cup championship. The Leagues Cup was created as a month-long tournament between MLS and Liga MX clubs. Both leagues took a month out of their respective regular seasons for the tournament.
For just the second time since joining Inter Miami, Messi will play on the road, and his upcoming visit to Nashville is causing a surge in ticket prices.
Tickets are still available for Saturday's Leagues Cup title game, with the cheapest available seats left going for $484. Nashville SC is selling tickets for up to $1,467 for the match.
Some resale tickets are going for even higher rates.
By comparison, tickets directly from the club for Nashville SC's following home game start at $38 and go up to $74.
This is the immediate impact of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami run
Since Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi came to the U.S. to play on Inter Miami, the sport has seen a change.
Messi's impact has been felt on the pitch, turning the worst team in the MLS' standings into a club competing for a title this weekend. Messi has scored an astounding nine goals in his six Leagues Cup contests.
Of course, his success is not surprising. After all, he was just named a UEFA Player of the Year nominee as the top player in Europe in 2022-23. He scored 16 goals and 16 assists in league play for Paris.
"It is astounding, amazing. I think we have run out of adjectives that describe what is going on in Miami," said Nashville coach Gary Smith. "They're playing such good football. They're scoring goals. They look unrecognizable from a month ago. I have never seen a transformation in a team. There is an individual in that group that has more of an impact than others, but Messi has brought out so much out of the guys around him."
It's worth noting that Messi was far from the only recent addition to Inter Miami's lineup. One day after picking up Messi, Inter Miami also signed Sergio Busquets, a Spanish national who just completed a 15-year stint with Barcelona.
