October 28 – If Lionel Messi gave as many interviews in relation to his goal-scoring exploits, there’d be enough copy for an encyclopedia. However, when the Argentine does speak, people listen. In a rare American interview, the Argentine legend shared his thoughts on Major League Soccer.
“Every team should have the opportunity to bring in players and sign whoever each team wants – without limitations or rules for players to bring them in,” Messi told NBC’s Tom Llamas, probably without knowing that’s what killed professional soccer in the US with the now-defunct, NASL.
“I don’t think that today all teams in the United States, all clubs, have the power to do that, and I think that if they were given the freedom, many more important players would come and help the growth of the United States.”
Coming from the league’s highest-paid player, Messi, who earns more than anyone else in MLS history, with a salary that dwarfs the entire payroll of some clubs in the league, cuts to the heart of MLS’s long-running identity crisis. The league has been built on prudent financial restraint with salary caps, allocation money, and roster categories.
These systems helped the league survive in the early years, but now they’re looked at by some of the wealthier owners as barriers to ambition.
As Messi put it: “I think growing soccer in the United States is possible, I think there are still big changes to be made so that teams can continue to grow…
“Today, the Inter Miami brand is very strong, not only in the United States but also globally. I think the club made a huge change and grew in every way, both athletically and institutionally, and I think it still has a lot more to grow and continue to improve in every way,” said Messi.
When the greatest player ever talks, everyone listens. Will the MLS?
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