MLS Vice President, Nelson Rodríguez, says that Messi’s impact on MLS is “different to Beckham’s”

MLS Vice President, Nelson Rodríguez, spoke at the Olé Sports Summit, in which he spoke about the huge impact that Lionel Messi has had on the league and soccer in the US.

The VP mentioned his impact as well as the differences between the arrival of the Argentine and that of David Beckham, who was perhaps the first great ‘celebrity footballer’ to play in MLS. He spoke about the pleasure of having Messi in the league, the ways in which MLS can sell the product and the influence of Beckham himself in bringing about the move.

Rodríguez’s started off by talking about his career as worker for MLS: “The league has grown so much since the beginning in 1996. As of 2008 we put a lot of ambition into it, we wanted players, managers, referees or whatever to have MLS as a destination. And Messi has shown that. You can see that Beckham was here in 2007 and had a huge impact in bringing Messi here, as well as the Mas brothers (Inter Miami’s owners), who convinced Messi. That growth is due to the owners.”

“The three most watched games are Messi’s first three”

Messi’s impact on the numbers that MLS can now generate has been huge, with the player signing deals with both Apple and Adidas: “With Apple”, Rodríguez said, “with whom we made an agreement this year, the three most watched games are Messi’s first three. In Los Angeles, a ticket to see Messi went for more than it costs to watch a whole season of American Football in the city. I was a kid who loved Pelé's New York Cosmos, that’s how I got hooked on football. Messi is going to be the same for a lot of boys and girls.”

‘What does Messi mean for the competition?’, Rodríguez was asked, to which he answered that ”Messi’s arrival is something different. Personally, I told my colleagues that they weren’t going to be able to imagine the impact Messi was going to have. In fact, I couldn’t myself. The numbers are incredible. And we’re not going to be able to realise the extent of the impact until 10, 15 or 20 years time. I’m proud he chose Inter Miami and MLS to continue his career.”

‘Messi’s arrival “different” to Beckham’s

Rodríguez was asked about the differences in the two arrivals, Messi and Beckham: “Messi’s arrival is [more] normal”, he said, “it’s different to Beckham’s: he was a celebrity, people knew him outside of the sports pages while Messi has made his name as a sportsperson, with class and humility, he’s never said a bad word. He’s a dad of three kids and dedicates his goals to them. To see all the greats of American sports wanting to watch him play, it shows the respect they have for him all over the world.”

The VP continued to talk about Messi and Beckham, saying that “the connection Messi and Beckham have also includes franchise players. Every team can have three. There is a salary limit for every team, but for the franchise, the owner pays everything, there are no limits. It’s a way of allowing certain teams to be ambitious and not let the league turn into, say, the German league, where there has only been one champion in 11 years.

Rodríguez “proud” that “unique” Messi chose MLS

“There was a before Messi and there will be an after Messi”, he explained, “it’s very special. It’s amazing to see the talent he has, for me he is unique. I’m proud he chose Inter Miami and MLS to carry on his career.”

And finally, Rodríguez spoke about Beckham and the rest of the owners in MLS: “Everything is due to our owners. It’s the power of the group that allowed the league to grow. The numbers don’t lie and show the commitment and dedication of the owners to make US sport grow. They have already put in $5 billion into the stadiums and they invest in the players as well.