Can Inter Miami boost their performance by signing one of the best players of all time?

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Major League Soccer has always been called a “retirement home” for ageing footballers. Well, this past week, MLS added another ageing footballer. Only this time, the player headed to North America is widely considered the greatest of all time.

Lionel Messi will join the David Beckham-owned Inter Miami this summer. The Argentine World Cup winner chose the American soccer team over the big money of Saudi Arabia or potentially returning to Barcelona.

Having won the World Cup last December, Messi has achieved everything in the game. Now, Messi’s mission is to make Inter Miami a worldwide brand and improve the global appeal of MLS.

Increasing MLS’s global appeal is something Beckham knows all too well. In 2007, with Real Madrid uninterested in re-signing him, Beckham signed the first-ever designated player contract with an MLS club, the LA Galaxy.

Just seven years before Beckham joined the league, owners around MLS were ready to pack it in. Attendances were low, TV ratings were non-existent, and money was going out but not coming in. Beckham’s arrival changed it all. Now, MLS is a league with 29 teams and still growing.

MLS now has the greatest player of the modern era. However, he will join the league’s third-worst team. Miami took just 15 points from their opening 16 matches. Head coach Phil Neville was finally sacked for Miami’s poor points return. Perhaps it was part of the deal to land Messi.

Due to MLS’s structure, Inter Miami are just six points off the final playoff place. It should be noted that it took Beckham and the Galaxy a few seasons to finally win an MLS Cup, so Messi may not be able to overhaul the club just yet.

Of course, there are differences between the two famous players. Messi will play more centrally and will drive the Miami team forward. He won’t have to defend or trackback. However, with the quality of the team being uneven, it may be difficult for Messi to get the ball regularly to do his magic.

He will also need to contend with physicality of the league. MLS may not have the football quality European competitions do, but it is a physical league full of athletes. Still, Messi’s pace, agility, and ball control will mesmerise many defenders.

Messi’s departure from PSG comes after scoring 16 goals and assisting 16 goals in Ligue 1. Despite the great numbers, PSG fans were happy to see him leave. Fans are tired of superstars and simply want players who will fight for the shirt.

In two up-and-down seasons at PSG, Messi scored 32 goals and assisted 35 in 75 appearances. It was a great return, but fans wanted more.

The all-time leading scorer in Barcelona history could have potentially moved back to the Catalan club. But Barcelona’s uncertain financial future meant signing him was likely never possible.

Messi appeared in 778 matches for Barcelona, scoring 672 goals. He added 303 assists for the Blaugrana, helping them win a myriad of trophies.

Inter Miami have pulled off a coup by signing Messi. Not since Beckham’s arrival has an MLS club had such a marquee name. Yes, there was Ibrahimovic, Pirlo, Lampard, and Henry; but none of those players transcended sports like Messi.

Results on the pitch may not improve early on. The earliest Messi can debut for Inter Miami is June 25. The league will also take a month-long break from the regular season in July and August for the Leagues Cup tournament against Liga MX teams.

Messi could be brought along slowly, giving him the chance to bed into the team and the new league. Inter Miami can certainly improve enough to make the playoffs. From there, anything can happen.