Jorge Mas: Messi is going to change the sport in the United States
He revealed the effort it took to land the best player of all time
Jorge Mas, the president of Inter Miami, gave an interview to 'El Club del Deportista' to explain the success of the signing of Leo Messi.
It was not an easy task, as Mas himself explains, but the work had its desired effect, putting MLS on the soccer map thanks to the legendary No.10 playing in the American league.
You can now watch Messi in MLS with Apple
"I always aspired to sign Messi. Everyone told me I was crazy to think he would come to Inter Miami. In 2019 I arranged a meeting with Jorge Messi. David Beckham and I explained to Jorge for three hours the project and there I went to sell the Miami concept. I see the history of soccer in America with three important dates: Pele, when he arrived in 1972 at Cosmos, Beckham's arrival in Los Angeles and Messi's arrival in Miami," the businessman said.
Messi's arrival has revolutionized soccer in the USA. The focus is now on a league that has a lot of possibilities for growth. «MLS is different. Every time we play away from home the stadiums are full. The reception for Lionel has been extraordinary. The game in New York, with almost 30,000 fans, 80 percent of them shouting Messi's name, there were Argentina shirts and pink Inter Miami shirts.
»I was shocked, I didn't expect that. To see the impact Lionel has had, how he is raising the interest in the league and how the world now sets its eyes on the American league. There will be a before and after Messi's arrival in MLS," said Mas.
Mas reveals one of the best kept secrets so far, the conversations with Jorge Messi and how he convinced the Messi family that Inter Miami was the place for him. «I told him, 'Your son will have the opportunity to create a new legacy
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