USMNT legend, Clint Dempsey has come out to say that Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami has popularized soccer in the US. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.
According to him, the entire country, not just football fans in America, is paying more attention to the MLS since Lionel Messi joined the league, so his move definitely moved the needle.
Dempsey added that more people are watching the American league nowadays just to watch the Argentine forward play football.
His words, “I would describe Messi coming to the States now in terms of what moves the needle. Like in terms of the whole country, not just people who are soccer fans but the whole country when they pay attention and watch, it normally has to take a Men’s or Women’s World Cup and with Messi coming in, he moves the needle like it’s a World Cup.”
WOW.
Lionel Andrés Messi, also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards and a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 he was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.
Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 35 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and the UEFA Champions League four times.
With his country, he won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (eight), and most assists in La Liga (192) and the Copa América (17).
He also has the most international goals by a South American male (103). Messi has scored over 800 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club (672).
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate