Lionel Messi's decision to play for Inter Miami prompts skyrocketing ticket prices
Messi may be the most famous athlete in the world
Lionel Messi is heading to the United States to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer next season.
The surprising announcement came Wednesday, when Messi confirmed reports he will be spurning a generous offer from Saudi Arabia and his former Barcelona squad to play for David Beckham's co-owned Inter Miami squad.
Messi may be the most famous soccer player — and athlete — on the planet, and soccer fans are willing to pay huge sums to see him in person.
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Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain smiles during a French Ligue 1 soccer match against Clermont Foot 63 at Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris June 3, 2023. (Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
StubHub sales for Inter Miami have increased nearly 28 times since the announcement was made on Wednesday. The number of tickets sold for July 2023 have already surpassed the number of tickets sold all of last season, compared to this time last year.
The average price for Inter Milan games for the season has jumped from just under $25 to just over $124.
The cost of seeing Messi in other cities is also rising dramatically. Inter Miami's game against Los Angeles Football Club at SoFi Stadium went from being the 15th highest-selling event of LAFC's season to second, and it's on track to be the top seller.
This is "an impact that can only be made by one of the greatest sports figures of all time," says StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli.
Argentina forward Lionel Messi is thrown in the air by teammates during a recognition ceremony for World Cup-winning players after a match between Argentina and Panama at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires March 23, 2023. (Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Messi made the official announcement via Spanish publications Mundo Deportivo and Sport.
"I have made the decision that I am going to Miami. I still don't have it agreed upon 100% and a few things are needed, but, well, we decided to continue my path there," Messi said.
"After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way and to enjoy the day-to-day more — obviously, with the same responsibility and desire to play well and do things well, as always, but in a calmer way."
Argentina forward Lionel Messi waves during a recognition ceremony for the World Cup-winning team following a match between Argentina and Panama at Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires March 23, 2023. (Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Messi, 35, continues to play at an elite level, scoring 16 goals and 16 assists in 32 matches for France’s Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 during the 2022-2023 season. He is also fresh off a World Cup victory with Argentina. Many believe him winning what had been an elusive World Cup title solidifies him as the greatest soccer player in history.
Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.