MLS commissioner Don Garber boldly claimed that Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi has “reset the trajectory” of the league. By some metrics, Messi’s arrival has coincided with a downward trend.
Garber struck a confident tone as he presented the Argentine captain with his Golden Boot award after 29 goals in the regular MLS season on Friday night. Messi promptly added two more to his tally during a 3–1 victory over Nashville SC in the opening tie of Inter Miami’s best-of-three Round One playoff series.
“I don’t think we ever could have imagined that Leo would have been able to deliver for this club, for this city and for this league the way he had,” Garber gushed ahead of kickoff, buoyed further by the news that Messi would be extending his stay in south Florida until 2028.
“He has reset the trajectory for Major League Soccer,” the commissioner continued, “and we were already doing pretty well. And I think having three more years is just going to be another gift. Hopefully, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. It’s been just a thrill to watch him play and to see how happy he is here in Miami and here in the United States.”
There is little doubting Garber’s glowing praise of Messi’s on-pitch excellence, rarely has that ever been questioned, but his impact on the league at large is less concrete.
As John Muller highlighted in The Guardian this week, average MLS attendances have endured a 5.5% year-on-year drop. Apple TV’s decision to remove the need for an MLS Pass add-on to watch this year’s playoffs doesn’t suggest that the demand is particularly rampant.
Inter Miami have certainly felt the impact of Messi’s brand power.
The club co-founded by David Beckham in 2018 was valued at around $600 million before they secured the services of arguably the greatest soccer player of all time. As of 2025, that valuation now stands at $1.2 billion, per Forbes. Revenues have enjoyed a similar spike but the wealth hasn’t been notably spread around MLS.
Even Miami aren’t a guaranteed sellout with Messi in tow. There were scores of empty seats dotted around Chase Stadium for the first playoff fixture of the season, with tickets available for as little as $28 two hours ahead of kickoff.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Chief Makes Debatable Lionel Messi Claim As Playoffs Begin.