FC Dallas president declared that Lionel Messi has more influence on MLS than David Beckham when attracting many football talents from Europe.

FC Dallas President Dan Hunt spoke to The Dallas Morning News about how MLS has changed since welcoming Messi to the fold:

‘You’re talking about one of the greatest players of all time, if not the greatest. None other than Lionel Messi, the league is energized by him and the number of top talents from Europe now want to play in MLS. The league has had great players over time like David Beckham, but Messi is still different because players even in their prime still want to come.’

Messi’s influence in MLS is said to be greater than Beckham’s when he was still playing.

In the past, there have been famous names who came to MLS to play such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney,… Especially the owner of Inter Miami Club, David Beckham, when he moved to LA Galaxy in 2007. Beckham’s presence has attracted media and professional attraction to the tournament. However, Messi came and did things that were considered even greater than Beckham himself at that time.

Lionel Messi completed his transfer to the United States from PSG in the summer of 2023. El Pulga inspired Inter Miami to a historic League Cup championship just weeks after arriving here. Besides, the former Barcelona player also added his 8th Golden Ball title and 3rd FIFA Best award to his massive collection during his career.

It is expected that many other familiar names will follow Messi to America. In the immediate future, Inter Miami has attracted former Barcelona stars such as Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Those said to be considering a move to MLS in the future also include France’s World Cup-winning duo Antoine Griezmann and Oliver Giroud .