What will Lionel Messi's Inter Miami legacy look like?
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami legacy: A shift in style, structural change, and a bright future for the next generation
- Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami move is tipped to change soccer in the United States
- Youth coaches hope he can help heal the structural problems in the sport
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
DRV PNK Stadium sits just off a main road that cuts east-to-west through Fort Lauderdale: Commercial Boulevard.
Work is already underway to build a new $1billion ground but, for now, this feels a rather fitting home for Inter Miami. How many other sports teams boast the star power to match their front two: David Beckham and Lionel Messi?
‘It doesn’t get any better!’ Fort Lauderdale mayor Dean Trantalis tells Mail Sport. And he might be right.
One football finance expert has suggested Inter Miami could become the biggest team in the history of Major League Soccer; Dr Rob Wilson told Saxo that South Florida may soon rival New York and Los Angeles as a beacon of US tourism.
Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas, meanwhile, called Messi’s arrival ‘our moment to change the football landscape in this country.’ His genuis surely can’t hurt a team floundering at the bottom of the MLS standings. When he retires, the 36-year-old will have a stake in the club. ‘He comes with the desire to leave his mark, and he will be able to do so beyond football,’ Mas added.
DRV PNK Stadium is by a main road that cuts through Fort Lauderdale: Commercial Boulevard
There is a hope that Lionel Messi’s move to Major League Soccer can change sports in the US
But beyond all the glitz and grand claims, will Messi’s influence trickle down the football pyramid? Can he really leave a legacy among the boys and girls with dreams of following in his footsteps?
A few miles south of DRV PNK Stadium, across Commercial Boulevard, is the home of Fort Lauderdale Rush. The soccer academy hosts up to around 650 players every year. Their network includes more than 60 clubs in the United States alone; their global reach stretches over six continents and nearly 50 countries. Over the past quarter century, they have helped produce nearly 100 professional players including USMNT star Christian Pulisic.
South Florida is a particularly rich breeding ground. ‘The talent pool here is exceptional,’ Inter Miami academy director Craig Dalrymple told Mail Sport last year. ‘It’s a very diverse, multicultural community, and soccer is a big sport down here.’
He adds: ‘There’s a heavy influence from South America… so we get a lot of technicians, a lot of clever, (high) IQ players.’
Olaf Henke has been with Fort Lauderdale Rush since day one in 2007. He is now the club’s director. The German native also works with the Florida Youth Soccer Association.
Inter Miami academy director Craig Dalrymple claims ‘the talent pool here is exceptional’
Inter Miami’s owners, including David Beckham, are keen to give South Floridian kids a chance
Already he has seen levels of excitement rise since Messi’s move. Expectations, too, over the new ceiling for Inter Miami. ‘And then obviously also some anticipation about what it’s going to look like,’ Henke tells Mail Sport.
He expects many more jerseys carrying the name of Inter Miami’s new No 10 to pop up. He also anticipates a further shift in how young players and teams play.
‘When it comes to the game – the way it is played, the way it is celebrated as well, it’s very Latin American,’ he says. ‘I do believe that the style (Messi) brings is going to inspire young players to copy it, to strive to be able to have the same technical abilities.’
Henke adds: ‘You will probably see it in individual players or teams even, they will try to copy the way the game is played.’
Is this move going to impact the numbers he sees at clubs like FL Rush?
‘South Florida is a very dynamic and diverse place… the numbers are usually pretty good,’ he says. ‘Obviously if we can bring even more players into the sport, that would be great.’
A young Messi supporter enjoys a kickabout ahead of the Argentinian’s unveiling on Sunday
Trantalis hopes Messi will inspire young talent to dream big.
‘He’s a great role model,’ the mayor says. ‘It goes to show young kids, the possibilities that exist and it can play out here – right in their back yard.’
Henke agrees. ‘One would hope it will put the idea into the kids’ heads – this is possible, this is what I have to do. I have to do extra training, to invest in my development, committing to it and (understanding) what it takes to reach that level,’ he says.
But Henke has a warning, too. Even those youngsters with the necessary talent and tools need help. And this is where superstars can make a real impact.
‘With names like Messi and (Sergio) Busquets… it will hopefully help the continuous growth of the sport,’ Henke explains. ‘(Then) ultimately we maybe have an opportunity to change some of the structures that are currently in place… there is no doubt that the sport has come a long way since the 1970s.’ But? ‘We also have our challenges, especially at the youth level.’
One issue particularly concerns Henke: the pay-to-play system which means promising players slip through the net.
‘If the sport costs a good amount of money for any players of any level, that makes it more difficult to find the talent that’s definitely there,’ Henke explains.
Fort Lauderdale mayor Dean Trantalis hopes Messi’s arrival will inspire kids to dream big
The message to Dalrymple, from the top of Inter Miami, has always been clear: they ‘want to provide opportunities for young, South Floridian kids’.
Earlier this month, six academy products featured in MLS against DC United; Dalrymple insisted the club has created an environment which means ‘kids can come in and maximise who they can be’. And yet?
‘You find diamonds in the rough and if they’re then placed in the right environment then they do develop. But there is no question in my mind that we’re missing out on a huge number of truly talented players every single year,’ Henke says.
‘We’re a big country, the numbers are good but I hope this will influence the development and maybe also the financial investment into the sport. So that we can actually identify the talent earlier, develop them better and maybe find the Pulisics, the Weston McKennies, the Tyler Adams etc every year – I think they’re there, we just have to identify them and create the right platforms where they can develop.’
Inter Miami has made efforts to strengthen ties with the 75-odd community clubs nearby.
But this stretches beyond the confines of South Florida. Henke considers the current competition structure to be US soccer’s ‘greatest challenge’.
Six academy graduates including Benja Cremaschi played in Inter Miami’s game at DC United
For young boys, he points out, one way to escape pay-to-play is to reach MLS Next, the youth league founded in 2020 and controlled by Major League Soccer.
‘In a country of 380m people, we have 30 MLS clubs,’ Henke continues. ‘So the numbers are not nearly what they might have to be in order to find and identify the talent that is out there consistently.’
These issues affect girls’ and women’s soccer, too. ‘There are reasons why other countries have caught up significantly with the US,’ Henke says.
No pressure, then, Lionel. But how can we expect one player to change a sport’s entire structure? Except, perhaps, to knock over the first domino.
‘Maybe it can trigger some more investment into the sport.’ That might not change the pay-to-play system – ‘it is a huge business’ – but sponsors could help fund more pathways towards the sport’s summit.
That won’t happen after Messi’s unveiling, or his debut on Friday. Only time will tell what change the next few years can truly effect.
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