For $2K, You May or May Not See Lionel Messi Play St. Louis in July

Ticket prices have surged after the announcement that Lionel Messi might be playing for Inter Miami by the July 15 game

Jun 8, 2023 at 11:09 am

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I asked someone well connected in MLS circles when to expect Lionel #Messi to debut for #InterMiamiCF.

“August,” I was told. https://t.co/jMovXBZLb9
— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) June 7, 2023

Lionel Messi, the Argentinian soccer great and 2022 World Cup winner, confirmed Wednesday he is coming to America to play for Inter Miami.

St. Louis CITY SC fans are losing their minds at the idea of seeing Lionel Messi play at Citypark Stadium. Inter Miami is set to face CITY SC in St. Louis on July 15. But it's not clear that Messi will be playing with the team by then. One tweet indicated that Messi probably wouldn't start playing till August (see above). But the secondary transfer window in Major League Soccer opens on July 5, which means that Messi could be starting with the team right after Independence Day.

Sporting News, however, suggested that the soccer legend's first game would be in the League Cup on July 21, just after the St. Louis CITY SC game.

None of this speculation has stopped ticket prices from surging. Last night, ticket prices were starting around $190. Today they're starting at around $220 with some going for as much as $2,500. And there are a LOT of tickets available. Apparently, many loyal fans see a chance to make a payday by selling their tickets, and they're cashing in. If it turns out Messi is going to play at that game, ticket prices will surely surge again, but that's a big if.

Messi is coming to the troubled Inter Miami just in time (or maybe a little late). The team, which was started by soccer great David Beckham (a.k.a. Mr. Posh Spice) is currently in last place in the eastern conference with 5 wins and 11 losses.

Messi was being courted by other teams, including Barca in Barcelona and Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. According to the New York Times, he wanted to play in Barcelona, but the team would have had to lower other people's salaries and trade players to afford him, which helped drive him to pick Miami.

Messi will be the biggest player to come to the MLS since David Beckham joined the L.A. Galaxy in 2007. According to Marca, that contract generated $477 million for Beckham. It's likely Messi will get a similar pay day.

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About The Author

Rosalind Early

Rosalind is the former editor-in-chief of the Riverfront Times. She formerly worked for Washington University's alumni magazine and St. Louis Magazine. In 2018, she was selected as a Rising Leader of Color by the Theatre Communications Group. In 2014, she was selected as an Emerging Leader by FOCUS St. Louis...