# A 40% Increase In Spectators

The soccer god survived even when he left for the U.S. As he was named the "Player of the Year" by Time magazine, the first non-American to do so, he drew attention again.

Time, a leading U.S. magazine, announced the 2023 Player of the Year on Sunday. Messi, the soccer god who moved to Inter Miami this summer, became the first non-American to win Time magazine's Player of the Year.

Colleagues also nodded to Messi's selection of the player of the year in Time magazine. Inter Miami midfielder Benjamin Kremaski said that his status as Major League Soccer (MLS) has changed since Messi joined the team. "Players want to continue their careers in MLS rather than overseas. Players who are enjoying their prime years can challenge themselves to MLS as well."

"Americans didn't care much about Messi's goal. I just wanted to see him alive. However, the number of Miami spectators increased by 40 percent. The MLS has become the first team in the league to have more than 30,000 fans on average, according to U.S. media. "Even if Messi didn't play, there were many fans wearing Inter Miami's home uniforms," Time said, conveying his changed status after joining the club.

This was evident from the MLS high-level interviews. "I was told that it is not just our team. I am talking to players who were not possible five years ago," FC Dallas said on Time. "Messi's participation in the World Cup in North and Central America is a very important starting point. The best players of each generation will challenge and play in the World Cup in North and Central America. Messi will provide great inspiration to young players aged 0 to 16," he said, looking forward to his influence in the future as well.

"Messi played in his first match on July 21, 2023, wearing Inter Miami pink jersey. He is the best player ever to play in the world's most popular soccer. He must be. He came to the bottom of the list in the U.S. after leading Argentina to the World Cup championship," Time recalled of Messi's transfer this summer.

Messi's appearance drew keen attention from Americans as well. "Messi put the ball on the grass. There were Kim Kardashian and LeBron James in the stands, but no one was watching them. The ball left Messi's left foot and penetrated the Crucible defense net. DeAndre Yedlin, who was behind Messi, opened his arms and was delighted with Messi's goal," the media pointed out.

It was Manchester United legend David Beckham who brought Messi to Inter Miami. Beckham has been keeping Messi in mind since Inter's inception. Time reported that "Beckham, who brought Messi, shed tears when he scored on his debut. Messi's goal was for MLS and the U.S. It sent millions of fans around the world into a frenzy."

According to the media, after seeing Messi's score, Beckham was deeply moved by his wife, saying, "I don't know if I can drive home in the car on the way back."

Messi grew up in Barcelona youth and became the world's best player ever. He scored more than 600 goals in Barcelona alone, and became an icon with his back number 10.

Messi had no intention of leaving Barcelona. He wanted to be a one-club man, but faced an external issue. He became disillusioned with the lax management and lack of philosophy under the leadership of Josep Bartomeu. In the summer of that year, he officially requested Barcelona to move, considering saying goodbye. However, he soon decided to renew his contract after being dissuaded by his high-ranking Barcelona fans.

He dreamed of retiring as a one-club man at Barcelona, but he could not sign a renewal contract. Barcelona could not overcome the conflict between the money it paid when it was chairman of Bartomeu and the new coronavirus pandemic. The new chairman insisted on renewing Messi's contract after taking office, but failed to meet the salary cap of the Primera Liga.

Messi will wear the Paris Saint-Germain uniform as a free agent. He signed a 2+1 year contract with Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, and decided on a new challenge at the French Ligue 1. At that time, Paris Saint-Germain sought to win the UEFA Champions League with the best attack in Europe by adding Messi to Neymar and Killian Mbappe.

Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma were brought in, but the team failed to secure the big year that it had hoped for. However, Paris Saint-Germain wanted to be with the team as the world's best player. Despite the chilly atmosphere, the mood subsided starting from the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Messi was also in a mood to stay at Paris Saint-Germain, but they fell out as his contract was nearing the expiration of his contract. Paris Saint-Germain wanted Messi to invoke an option to extend his contract by one year, but Messi actually reacted lukewarmly. Then, he was suspended due to his schedule as an ambassador to Saudi Arabia, which resulted in a perfect breakup.

That summer, Messi's No. 1 priority was his return to Barcelona. However, the team failed to resolve its financial issues and made a decision. When his return to Barcelona failed, he chose to go to the U.S. "I was afraid that the day of 2021 would be repeated again. I was tired of waiting for what would happen after experiencing it two years ago and I never wanted to experience it again," Messi confessed.

Money was not the problem. Referring to his decision to go to the U.S., he replied, "If money was the problem, I would probably have gone to the Middle East. It was a lot of money for me. However, my last decision was elsewhere. It wasn't about money."

That's how Messi and his European career ended. "I am grateful to the Parisians for the past two seasons. I hope they will do their best for the future," he said as he left Paris.

Inter Miami recruited the much-anticipated Messi. "We have brought in Messi, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup champion, through the club's official website in July. Messi will play for our team until 2025. It is an honor to welcome Messi to his new home. We have made ambitious plans to bring in the best soccer player in the world from 2018. We are grateful to Inter Miami fans for their trust in us. We will continue to make our dreams a reality."

Messi was also happy in the MLS. "I played for Barcelona for a long time. But leaving Barcelona progressed very quickly. In fact, it was tough. I had to change my life away from where I had lived and adapt to a completely different culture. Moving to Paris Saint-Germain was not the outcome I wanted. Everything was tough in terms of city and sports. Fortunately, that did not happen to Miami. Things have changed dramatically and I am happy," he said with a smile. [토토사이트](https://www.betmantoto.org)