“He made the United States a soccer nation.”

Argentine football player Lionel Messi was crowned once again, in this case with the title of “Athlete of the Year” awarded annually by the American magazine Time.

“He has managed to do what previously seemed impossible: turn the United States into a football country,” the magazine points out as the main argument in support of one of the few titles the Argentine footballer has left to win.

The article that Time magazine devoted to him is illustrated with several photos in which the star appears wearing the pink kit of the Inter Miami team – and in none of them does Messi appear in the shirt of the Argentine national team.The club he joined in July this year and where he has already started winning trophies.

The text does not skimp on describing “the greatest player alive, and perhaps the best to ever play in the world’s most popular sport,” and highlights how his presence attracted thousands to American football stadiums, millions of whom actually became spectators. Football.

Stimulus

“Messi has brought an unparalleled incentive to soccer in the United States: attendance at stadiums, prices, promotional sales and match viewership: his matches strike a chord of religious ‘revival’,” wrote Time magazine, which recalls how thanks to stars like He attended Kim Kardashian or rapper Fat Joe to the stadiums and in turn contributed to increasing the popularity of this sport.

“This guy is a cultural icon. He’s a great among the greats,” Fat Joe told TIME.

Time even says that Messi made the United States a “soccer nation.”And he writes it like this, in Spanish, in addition to the English word “soccer.”

The praise extends to Messi’s personality and commitment to his new team: David Beckham told Time magazine: “From day one, Leo arrives first, then leaves after everyone else. He is the most professional player in the whole team.”the current owner and president of Inter, who is credited with the recent push for Messi to sign with the club, has rejected more lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia.

Regarding the economic impact, this information is sufficient: On the day of its debut on Inter, Apple TV added 110,000 new subscribers in just 24 hours to be able to watch Major League Soccer With an “MLS Season Pass,” according to Antenna data, something that has never been seen before.

Crowd attendance at Inter Miami Stadium has increased by 40% since Messi’s arrivalThe average number of spectators is now 30,000 per match, although it reached 61,124 for a match last October.

Messi’s popularity is affecting other clubs in the same sport: “We are now entering into negotiations with people that would not have been even remotely possible five years ago,” Dallas club president Dan Hunt told TIME.