Lionel Messi‘s announcement that he plans to take his talents to South Beach sent prices for Inter Miami tickets on the secondary market into the stratosphere on Wednesday as fans clamored for a chance to see the Argentine great play on U.S. soil.
Ticket prices surged following reports early on Wednesday that he planned to join the Major League Soccer side, which he later confirmed.
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Messi’s first game with the team could reportedly be on July 21 when Inter Miami hosts Cruz Azul in its Leagues Cup opener in Fort Lauderdale.
The lowest price for a ticket for that game on Tuesday was a mere $29 but on Wednesday the price rocketed to $329 — a 1,034% jump — according to TickPick.
On Vivid Seats, the average price of a ticket to the game with Cruz Azul rose 205%, from $122 on Sunday to 373 on Wednesday.
Messi’s first game in a Miami jersey will likely be the most expensive MLS game on record, Kyle Zorn, brand manager at TickPick, told Reuters.
“We saw an almost instantaneous jump in Inter Miami ticket prices when the word got out that Messi was leaning towards joining the club,” Zorn said.
“Given his status as arguably the greatest player in the world, every time Inter Miami plays on the road, we’re going to see record breaking ticket prices.”
Inter Miami’s road games that saw the biggest jump in prices included the team’s visit to the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 26 (1,236% increase) and their trip to Southern California to face LAFC on Sept. 3 (420% increase), the ticket retailer said.
