Serena Williams, LeBron James, Kim Kardashian. The list of celebrities elbowing their way into any seat with a view of Lionel Messi in an Inter Miami shirt goes on and on.
Six games into his career at South Beach, Messi is yet to disappoint his expectant fans. Diego Maradona’s World Cup-winning teammate Jorge Valdano once said: “Maradona was Maradona sometimes, Messi is Maradona every day.”
Inter Miami’s new number ten has lived up to that lofty billing thus far – albeit against far inferior foes than he is accustomed to facing.
Messi’s tournament-high nine goals have hauled Miami into the final of the Leagues Cup, giving the young club a shot at the first piece of silverware in the franchise’s short history.
As Miami’s new icon and his team gear up for the final against fellow MLS side Nashville SC on Saturday, here’s everything you need to know about sourcing a ticket to watch Messi in the flesh. Although, be warned that you may need to be a celebrity to afford a seat.
Exactly four weeks after making his debut for Inter Miami – which he marked with a last-minute free-kick winner – Messi has the chance of winning his first trophy for Inter Miami.
The Herons line up against Nashville on Saturday, 19 August at 9pm local time (2am BST). Nashville come into the contest on the back of consecutive clean sheets but Miami’s entire attack has been supercharged by Messi’s arrival.
In a pre-Messi world, Inter Miami had scored 22 goals in as many league matches. With their new captain ambling around the turf, Miami have plundered 21 goals in six games.
By virtue of finishing higher than Inter Miami in the 2022 Supporters’ Shield, Nashville had the benefit of hosting the Leagues Cup final.
GEODIS Park has a maximum capacity of 30,000 and Nashville’s general manager Mike Jacobs has predicted that his team “will play in front of more people than in our club’s history, and that wouldn’t have happened this weekend had Messi not come to our league”.
Messi may be the star attraction but he is rocking up at the home of the reigning MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar.
As soon as Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami was confirmed, the demand for tickets exploded. While you normally have to go through the club’s official website to secure a seat at one of the games, tickets for the upcoming Leagues Cup final are available on the competition’s own homepage.
The popular distribution company Ticketmaster is responsible for sales but, with the final fast approaching, few seats are left unfilled. Those that are available come with a steep price tag.
GOL numero 9️⃣ para nuestro 🔟#PHIvMIA | 0-2 pic.twitter.com/W6w0Th4pzZ
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 15, 2023
The cheapest price for a single seat, tucked into the back corner of the stadium’s upper tier, will set you back $470.95 (£369.04). Before Messi’s arrival midway through the 2023 MLS campaign, fans could purchase an entire Inter Miami season ticket for $476.
If the thrill of seeing arguably the greatest player of all time prowl around in pink from a distance was not enough, affluent spectators have plenty of opportunity to splash out; the most expensive seats at GEODIS Park for Saturday’s showpiece cost upwards of $2,163 (£1,696). Some ambitious re-sellers are trying to flog tickets on the halfway line for five figures, although even Messi probably isn’t worth that.
If the trek to Tennessee is too daunting, you can still catch Messi’s first final since the World Cup digitally.
As with all MLS and Leagues Cup fixtures, the match is available across the globe by purchasing the MLS Pass on Apple TV. As he is entitled to a slice of the revenue Apple generate from new subscribers, Messi would no doubt recommend this medium but there are other places to watch the Leagues Cup final.
Viewers in the US can tune in to see Messi try and claim the 42nd trophy of his senior career on TUDN, Univision, ViX or fuboTV.
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