Messi mania has swept the United States, from Miami to Los Angeles, affecting everyone from pitch invasions to Hollywood stars, writes Lawrence Ostlere. But will Major League Soccer embrace the opportunity?
The only footballer whose shadow carries a gun is Lionel Messi.
His bodyguard, Yassine Cheuko, is an ex-Navy Seal with a thick beard and a shaved head who treats his client like a president in a warzone, staring down exuberant autograph-hunters and slapping away selfie-chasing toddlers. During a recent game, a young pitch invader wearing a Messi jersey dashed towards his hero, only to be met by Cheuko’s body on arrival. Messi is like the sun: enjoy his presence and revel in his radiance, but don’t look him in the eyes – because if you touch him, you’ll die.
It’s just one of the odder manifestations of Messi fever, which has captivated Miami and Major League Soccer since his arrival in June. It started before he ever booted a ball: Messi’s pink shirt outsold any sports jersey in history in the first 24 hours, grossing $600 million, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United and Tom Brady’s move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Miami’s Instagram account grew from 1 million to 15 million followers, outnumbering every NFL team. Kim Kardashian purchased tickets to his debut, and the list of VIP guests watching him play at the Los Angeles Galaxy was like Wimbledon’s Royal Box on steroids, with LeBron James, Selena Gomez, Owen Wilson, Gerard Butler, Leonardo DiCaprio, and true royalty among them.
Even at 36 years old and in the winter of his career, Messi has been amazing on the field, with 11 goals and five assists in 11 games and one trophy already. He has transformed a bad squad into a good one, pulling Miami off the bottom of the standings and into contention for the MLS Cup, US soccer’s equivalent of the Super Bowl, in December.
He’s taken two close friends with him from Barcelona: left-back Jordi Alba, who created a career pretending to cross the ball only to cut back for Messi to score, and renowned midfield conductor Sergio Busquets. It’s similar to a singer bringing his sound and lighting technicians – not the entire band, but enough to put on a concert. Perhaps his most iconic moment so far occurred in the League Cup final versus Nashville: as the ball bounced to Messi on the edge of the box, the commentator let out an ominous “uh oh” before he moved away from two players and curled the ball into the top corner.
