From Inter Miami CF’s home ground of Chase Stadium to anywhere else in the world a soccer ball is being kicked around, the odds of seeing a Lionel Messi jersey are always high.
It’s a phenomenon that even Germany and Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthäus notices in his own country, despite his homeland producing some of the game’s all-time greats.
“He is an idol for most kids. Not only in America. In Germany, too,” said Matthäus, who, like the superstar Argentine No. 10, has the rare distinction of winning both a FIFA World Cup and Ballon d’Or award.
“I have a son. He’s 11 years old, and I sometimes follow his football games. And when they have training sessions, you see a lot of Messi shirts," he said. "The old shirt from Barcelona, the new shirt from Inter Miami.
“This means that the name Messi is so important for football, not only what he’s doing on the field, [but] what he’s doing outside the field.”
Pressure-packed tournament
That’s the power of Messi and the Inter Miami project he’s spearheaded since mid-2023, transforming the Herons into a global attraction with the help of fellow Barça alums Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
The 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield winners and 2023 Leagues Cup champions are just over a month away from their next high-profile venture: competing at this summer’s FIFA 2025 Club World Cup in the United States as the host side of the expanded, 32-team tournament that runs from June 14 to July 13.
Seattle Sounders FC, via their 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup (née League) title, will also represent Major League Soccer at the competition, while LAFC are set to face LIGA MX titans Club América for Club León’s recently vacated spot.
For Matthäus, Messi gives Miami an unrivaled edge in a highly competitive Group A that also features Al Ahly (Egypt), FC Porto (Portugal) and Palmeiras (Brazil).
“It’s not too much pressure because Messi has had pressure all his life: World Cup finals, Copa América, national [team] games, club games, Champions League finals, El Clásico in Spain between Real Madrid and Barcelona,” the five-time World Cup veteran said.
“He knows what pressure means.”
MLS's global reach
While Matthäus believes Messi and Miami can “make a run” at the CWC, the current pundit and Bayern Munich ambassador envisions an all-European semifinal bracket, given the sporting and financial implications of the competition that will distribute an unprecedented $1 billion prize pool.
“This is a tournament where you can win a very important title: best club in the world. And a lot of money,” he said. “I think every team is motivated.
“… They’ll [be] playing with their best first XI, they will give their best to win the title.”
Still, Matthäus isn’t taking Miami, Seattle and possibly LAFC lightly, given the worldwide exposure the league has received in recent years thanks to Messi and its historic broadcasting deal with Apple via MLS Season Pass.
“Twenty or 15 years ago, it was not possible for us Germans to watch MLS on our TVs,” he said. “Now it’s possible and you can see how football [in the United States] is getting focus from other countries.”
Summer of soccer
This summer’s Club World Cup comes a year before the United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico. It’s a full-circle moment for a country that hosted its first World Cup in 1994 - a watershed event that led to the birth of Major League Soccer.
Matthäus, who participated in that World Cup six years before spending the 2000 season with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls), is excited for how both upcoming tournaments will play out.
“I think now, especially a year before the World Cup starts in the U.S. in 2026, this is good preparation for the organization in the U.S. - the stadiums, the security and everything,” he said.
“… It’s a good test for the World Cup in 2026, and the clubs are motivated.”
According to Matthäus, that motivation will make for some riveting club soccer across the United States come this summer.
“Everything is possible,” he said. "Like at the World Cup in 2026, you have the favorites and you have the teams who are maybe not so famous, but make surprises.
“And this is football.”
