‘We don’t see these numbers in MLS’: Ticket prices for Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami league debut soar above $3000 – Report

After putting up a scintillating performance in the knockout competitions, Lionel Messi is now all set to make his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut. Messi and Inter Miami will be up against the New York Red Bulls this weekend at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. Football fans are waiting to catch a glimpse of the super striker. His incredible fandom has resulted in ticket prices hitting unprecedented levels. According to CNN, ticket prices for Messi’s MLS debut game are nearly 1,000% higher than they usually are for the New York Red Bulls.

Ticket reseller VividSeats told the news portal that the average price for the MLS game between New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami is averaging $483. The mind-boggling amount is well above the usual $46.

The report further mentioned that some seats for the first-row have crossed the mark of $3,600 on VividSeats. The cheapest ticket price is estimated to be as low as $345.

A VividSeats spokesperson said that Lionel Messi’s highly anticipated MLS debut is “trending as the Red Bull’s hottest ticket in over a decade.” New York Red Bull’s second-costliest ticket stands at around $270 back in July 2022 for a game against Messi’s childhood club Barcelona.

Red Bulls’ general manager Marc de Grandpre admitted that they do not get to experience such whopping numbers in MLS. “These are numbers we don’t see at a MLS match normally,” Grandpre was quoted as saying by CNBC.

Having spent two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Messi completed his move to Inter Miami this summer. He has already scored 10 goals for the Herons. Now, the World Cup-winning Argentine will be aiming to replicate a similar show in the American domestic league. Messi may not have featured in the league yet but the MLS has already started reaping benefits from the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner’s arrival to the United States.

“I don’t want to say we underestimated Messi coming to the MLS, but it’s been unbelievably impactful to our league across all points,” Camilo Durana, the executive vice president of club services and fan development at MLS, explained.

For Inter Miami also, the decision to rope in Messi has started paying dividends, both on and off the field. CNBC reported that since Messi’s joining, the Herons rose to the highest-selling MLS team for tickets from the 13th spot on StubHub, an online ticket marketplace.

In terms of on-field achievements, Messi has guided Inter Miami to their first-ever Leagues Cup triumph earlier this month. Messi also played a key role in helping Inter Miami to reach the US Open Cup final. Inter Miami, struggling at the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference standings, will now heavily rely on Messi to change their fortunes in the domestic league.