Camisetas CROATIA
Messi-mania has swept the nation, drawing crowds to sold-out stadiums to witness the 36-year-old in action. Messi merchandise is in high demand, and Apple attributes a surge in Apple TV+ subscribers to his Major League Soccer presence. The MLS aims to harness Messi’s popularity as the U.S. prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Watch the video above to find out whether Messi wearing the Inter Miami jersey until 2025 could supercharge professional soccer in the U.S.
Produced by: Anuz Thapa
Supervising Producer: Jeff Morganteen
Narration: Jordan Smith
Additional Footage: Getty Images, Major League Soccer
» Subscribe to CNBC:
» Subscribe to CNBC TV:
About CNBC: From ‘Wall Street’ to ‘Main Street’ to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news:
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn:
Follow CNBC News on Facebook:
Follow CNBC News on Twitter:
Follow CNBC News on Instagram:
#cnbc
Could Lionel Messi Supercharge Professional Soccer In The U.S.?
Los.mismo dijeron de Beckham. Y mo pasa nada
👏🐐⚽️🔥
No America only has to call it like everybody els!!! Football it is, American football is not even a football it is a handegg, and is played with your hands
I truely hope Messi can play football in American at least in the next 3 years. I believe he's able to change how American think about football. Being a big fan of him for more than 12 years, I've never seen something like this before, every news i see are almost about him. Other professional football players are eclipsed by LEO.
Money lots of it
MLS still has a long way to go.
YES! and it's not soccer, it's FOOTBALL!
I hope so, and maybe you start to call it FOOTBALL no SOCCER…
One of the greatest players of all time owns the Miami club. No one cared. Messi joins and everyone goes wild. Once he retires, no one will care about MLS again
No. America is pay to play not about talent. Too many mediocre wealthy kids make up most teams for the professional pool. I applaud Messi for making a pile of money in his sunset years in a much less stressful, lower expectation, less relevant league.
Honestly Messi should have taken the billion dollars the Saudis offered and just retire for good in 4 years.
Awesome that Messi is the biggest thing in FL and wearing pink! The USA needs more immigrants to play world-class football! No wonder DeSantis is toast. Did they check Messi's drivers license?
I still miss him at Barca i hope one day he will come back maybe not as a player but coach or another function like Xavi and Deco
I hope other MLS teams now considering bringing on some big international talent.
Learn: Football, football, football. NOT SOCCER. IS FOOTBALL
its football ffs
😂😂 1.34 …he is not the best footballer right now !!!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂 he was tough 10 years back !!
The MLS will have to introduce a promotion and relegation system before anyone can take this league seriously. No stakes = no drama. Without drama there are no emotions that fans could develope for a club.
Mls will put basketball, nfl behind
First Americans should stop saying Soccer 😄
Soccer?
❤❤❤❤ it’s attractive channel.
Messi is the goat…almost feel bad when he’s against the lousy players of mls.
The problem:
Soccer just isn’t popular in the United States. Period.
Sure, Messi will get his money but that’s it. They tried with Beckham in the past, it didn’t work. I just don’t see any difference with the signing of Messi. I hope I’m wrong, but this is just my .02 cents.
American is all about basketball, baseball and football.
Large Hispanic community?
It's not just the Hispanics, it's the English, European people
Well to start off I'm sure he doesn't like the word soccer lol
It's futbol or in English format Football 😅
its FOOTBALL
And he did it
never watched a MLS game , now im always watching
saying that messi is the best footballer is objectively wrong
No, soccer I'd not apart of American culture.
Is football not soccer
Not sure where they're getting those league valuations from. No way in HELL is the average value of an MLS club is 700m. Someone's diddling the numbers here massively. Yes, it's what MLS says you have to pay to start a club but you have to pay me 700m for my iPhone but it's not WORTH that.
It's not Soccer it's Football
I hear these people talk and all I see in their eyes is dollar signs. They could care less about the sport or if more home grown talent is developed long term future. I hope with all this hype Messi doesn’t receive too much unwanted attention from corrupt corporatists and mafiosos.
You forgot to mention Gerd Müller, Franz Beckenbauer, Sebastian Schweinsteiger, who also joined the MLS in the past.
Get Christino Ronaldo to the MLS and then tell me the difference 😂😂😂😂😂
Emeryta przyjęli on u nas już jest dziadkiem. Na ale u nas piłka nożna u was soocker…
he didn't want to join the arab pro league because he knew he wouldn't be able to compete easily because some of the top level european players were already there. he finds it easy to play in MLS, which is still below the Arab pro league in terms of quality.
I just can’t call it soccer bro, it’s football. Every country in the world calls it football, why you gotta be like that USA lol
No.
But with europe dominating and saudi buying up, I don't know how will they come ahead. I highly doubt there would be the same excitement once Messi is out and Messi is not 25 so he has fewer years left to leave a permanent mark.
MLS cannot compete with Saudi with money and the quality cannot ride on just one guy.
MLF
If Inter Miami can sign Messi, EPL shouldn't be more worried about MLS not Saudi league.
No chance. Messi is all time but he also shows just how bad MLS is. The difference in skillsets between players in MLS and the likes of Premier League, LaLiga & Serie A is enormous. And that's without considering viewers… people aren't watching MLS, we're watching Messi.
This is the NBA equivalent of Jordan playing 1 final season in China for $2 billion and a franchise 😅 and Messi earned every cent.
i'd rather watch great players joining mls than selling their souls to the arabs
NO