Will Lionel Messi reshape Major League Soccer?

FACULTY Q&A The United States has a long history of recruiting aging soccer stars from other countries. Argentine Lionel Messi, considered by many worldwide to be soccer's GOAT-greatest of all time-is set to join Inter Miami CF later this year, the team former soccer great David Beckham co-owns. Stefan Szymanski , the Stephen J. Galetti Collegiate Professor of Sport Management at the University of Michigan, discusses Messi's potential impact on MLS and soccer in the U.S. Why is Messi coming to MLS?. The short answer is that his career is winding down, and he can no longer compete at the highest level of European soccer. MLS has focused on bringing aging stars from Europe ever since Beckham, but Messi is something more. At 35, he is the biggest name in world soccer. Beckham and MLS have been courting him for years, and he might think that he can propel the league to a level comparable to the best European leagues.
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