Messi mania up close and personal, as fans travel to Miami to watch soccer phenom

A young couple from California celebrating their wedding anniversary. A Maryland boy going into the eighth grade but not before seeing his sports idol. Two South Florida natives, one coming to see her first live soccer game.

They were among the thousands outside DRV PNK Stadium on Tuesday evening before one of soccer’s all-time greatest players in the world got his first start in a pink Inter Miami jersey.

Is this the Messi effect in South Florida? It certainly looked that way and showed the fans think he’s giving a much-needed lift to a last place MLS team.

Prior to the match, hundreds of people ate tasty choripan sandwiches sold by a food vendor. Cumbia sabanera music blared from speakers on a Neapolitan pizza truck owned by a Uruguayan and English couple.

This was part of the scene outside before star footballer Lionel Messi’s second game with his new U.S. team. Inside the stadium, Messi scored two goals in the first half to spark Inter Miami’s 4-0 Leagues Cup victory over Atlanta United, another MLS team.

Back outside before the thrills on the pitch, the anticipation and excitement to watch Messi in person was building.

The bumper-to-bumper traffic leaving downtown Miami on the I-95 worried me of what was to come: Crowds, hassles, security, long lines for food. Got to Fort Lauderdale in about an hour.

My ride dropped me off right in front of DRV PNK Stadium at 1350 NW 55th St., about 90 minutes before kickoff.

Knew I was in the right place when I saw a concession stand offering a Big Messi hot dog. It’s an all-beef dog with mustard, mayo, chimichurri, salsa, and chips, said Kathrin Panos, 52, who runs the stand with her husband Bill Panos, 54.

Fans already were entering the stadium more than an hour before the match, obviously hoping to catch a glimpse of the 36-year-old Argentinian soccer phenom who has made South Florida the center of the professional soccer universe. Many of them wore Messi’s number 10 jerseys, either in Inter’s bright pink or Argentina’s blue and white.

A range of spectators came out for the match: South Florida natives and newcomers, Americans and Argentines, among others. Most, if not all, drawn to the stadium by Messi, who ramped up the intensity and excitement with his game-winning heroics on Friday in his first game playing for Inter Miami.

In front of the Che Grill, which makes choripan sandwiches, Jenny Maselli, 37 and American, and Gustavo Maselli, 42 and Argentine, showed up for what they said was “a very last-minute trip” from their California home to celebrate their recent sixth wedding anniversary in Miami.

“So, I was like, for my anniversary, I want to go see Messi,” Jenny Maselli said. Gustavo responded, “alright let’s go to Miami.”

They each paid about $250 last week for tickets to Tuesday’s match. They brought their three-year-old daughter and other family members.

“We’re so lucky to be able to see him live,” she said. “To me, he’s the greatest of all time.”

Gustavo said access to the game was easier than it is in Barcelona or Argentina.

Meanwhile, another visitor to the region, Adithya Abhilash, 12, from Maryland, stood in line among a sea of fans to walk into the stadium. While on vacation, his family realized they could get tickets to the match, so he could watch Messi play for the first time. His grandfather visiting from India stood next to him. “It’s a really big deal,” Adithya said, clearly exuberant.

Jose Cardona, 31, and his partner Jahsmania Caceres, 24, were among the South Florida born and raised.

Cardona has been going to Inter Miami games the past few years, but Caceres was attending her first one.

“I’ve never even watched an Inter Miami game before on TV,” she admitted.

Yet, she sported an Inter Miami jersey with Messi’s name on the back. So did Jose.

Cardona predicted the local team acquiring Messi would boost the quality of players in Major League Soccer, Inter Miami and of course shift South Florida interest in soccer and Messi into overdrive.

“There’s going to be more of an attachment to the team,” he said, in an understatement.

For Joey Mauriello, 23, Tuesday night’s match was the first soccer game he attended. He moved to Miami from New Jersey a couple of months ago for work.

“I do think I’m going to be coming back,” he said. Seeing Messi play “is [a] once in a lifetime.”

Having spent part of his childhood in Miami, he looked forward to watching how Messi — Inter Miami’s $150 million anchor — plays a role in the South Florida community.

Mauriello and his friend James Dvorak, 24, paid about $200 apiece for tickets to watch his magical play.

“I’ll probably buy season tickets now for next year,” said Dvorak, who moved from Chicago to Miami in early June.

This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 6:19 PM.