Phil Agius
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The last-placed team in the MLS Eastern Conference standings has signed a new player who is set to hugely increase the profile of soccer in the United States — global superstar Lionel Messi.
Messi is arguably (and there have been many arguments!) the greatest player of his generation and, unlike many of the big-name players who ended their careers in America in the past, he is still operating at an extremely high level at the age of 36, as demonstrated by him being named FIFA men’s player of the year for 2022.
His signing was made official this weekend and is a real coup for the Inter Miami franchise co-owned by former England star David Beckham. He is set to be presented to fans at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale at 8:00 pm ET on Sunday and make his Miami debut against LIGA MX club Cruz Azul on Friday night in the Leagues Cup.
So what can American soccer fans expect to see and what are the odds that the soccer GOAT can bring success to the team at the bottom of the MLS standings?
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Who is Lionel Messi and what does he bring to MLS?
Lionel Messi led Argentina to a World Cup success as recently as last December and has scored almost 500 league goals in his club career, mostly with Barcelona and more recently with Paris St-Germain. The Argentinian joined Barcelona’s youth system aged 16 and went on to play 520 senior league games for the Spanish club, scoring 474 goals.
He won 10 La Liga championships with Barca, as well as 4 Champions Leagues and 7 Copa Del Rey (Spanish Cup) wins. At PSG, he won the French league in both seasons he was with the club. Standing just 5′ 7″ tall, Messi has never relied on physical attributes as his success comes mainly from his magical feet, peerless passing and vision, and as such he should continue to flourish at an advanced age.
What are Inter Miami’s latest MLS odds this season?
With just 18 points from 21 games this season, Miami is 15th of 15 in the MLS Eastern Conference having won only 5 of 21 league games this season. However, given the playoff format of the league, sportsbooks are still not willing too write off the chances of Messi lifting Inter into MLS Cup contention if the Florida franchise can just sneak into the playoffs. Inter is available at 50/1 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the MLS Cup this season, with Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati (+400) and defending champions LAFC (+550) the current favorites.
What are Lionel Messi’s MLS Golden Boot odds?
Believe it or not, sportsbooks are still offering odds on Messi winning the MLS Golden Boot award this season even though he has missed 21 of the 34 regular-season games already. He has odds of +4000 to score the most goals in the league this season. The favorite at DraftKings for the honor with +300 odds is Hany Mukhtar of Nashville, who has a 13-goal lead over Messi. Dennis Bounga of LAFC is at +350 odds with 12 goals already scored. DraftKings is also looking ahead to next season, and makes Messi +300 to lead the MLS in scoring in 2024.
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Can Messi win a trophy for Miami in his first season?
Even if MLS success is beyond Inter this year, the club does have a good chance of picking up a trophy in Messi’s first season. The best shot has to be in the US Open Cup, as Miami has already qualified for the semifinals. The tough news is that its next game is against Eastern Conference pacesetters FC Cincinnati on August 23, but Caesars Sportsbook expects the winner of that game to go on to lift the trophy, offering odds of +140 FC Cincinnati, +250 Inter Miami, +375 Houston Dynamo and +500 Real Salt Lake to win the US Open Cup.
What are the odds for Lionel Messi to win MLS next season?
The difference a legend of the game can make is obvious in the odds for Inter Miami to win the MLS Cup next season. DraftKings is offering +300 that Miami lifts the trophy in 2024, and if you want to boost the odds a little, they are also offering +600 that Miami wins with Messi as the MLS top goalscorer.
Messi vs Ronaldo – who is the modern era soccer GOAT?
The argument against Messi being the greatest of all time has always been that he had a rival to be the greatest of his own generation in Cristiano Ronaldo, the Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star. The case against Messi was that Ronaldo had inspired Portugal to international success at Euro 2016, while Messi’s international career with Argentina had often been frustrating and littered with disappointments. That argument was lost when Messi trumped Ronaldo’s achievement by leading his nation to World Cup glory in 2022, however, and it’s hard to deny that Messi is one of the game’s greats, fit to be named alongside Pele and the previous Argentinian soccer icon, Diego Maradona.
Who are the biggest soccer stars to have played in the United States?
Brazilian great Pele and West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer were among the all-time legends to play for the famous New York Cosmos team in the 1970s, while Johan Cruyff of the Netherlands was the NASL MVP in 1979. The soccer magician George Best of Manchester United and Northern Ireland played for Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the San Jose Earthquakes, and in recent years former EPL stars Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale have been among the more famous names to feature in the MLS, for DC United and LAFC respectively. Messi’s arrival takes the league to whole new level, however, and interest in American domestic soccer could be about to skyrocket.
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