Messi has been more impactful than Beckham and Pele — MLS chief

Lionel Messi’s arrival in Major League Soccer has seen a meteoric rise in the competition’s profile, as the attention he has attracted has seen MLS become one of the most followed non-European leagues in the world.

His impact in the league has been regularly compared with the likes of Pele, David Beckham, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who were each responsible for marked growth in the profile of America’s top flight, but according to FC Dallas owner Dan Hunt, Messi’s impact far surpasses all who came before him.

Hunt, one of the billionaire owners of MLS clubs, has had a front-row seat to the spike in the league’s growth since the arrival of Messi, and he explains that the rise is unprecedented.

Beckham, part owner of Inter Miami and the brain behind Messi’s move to the MLS, also had a similar impact in 2006 when he signed for the LA Galaxy, but according to Hunt, Messi’s is more significant because the league now attracts talents in their prime, as opposed to the has-beens the league is infamous for regularly acquiring.

“You’re talking about one of the greatest players of all time, if not the greatest. I mean, it really comes down to Lionel Messi or Pele,” he said, per the Dallas Morning News.

“[Diego] Maradona was a great player, and I understand how people feel about him, but the league is so energised by this and the amount of top talent you see from Europe now wanting to play in MLS. We got great players over time like David Beckham, but now it’s guys still at their prime, wanting to come.”

Meanwhile, Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to his social media to drop a hint, suggesting he could be fit for the clash against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.

The Saudi Pro League side cancelled their tour of China this week, owing to an injury suffered by their superstar captain, and this heightened fears that the 38-year-old could miss the mid-season showdown against MLS side Inter Miami.

However, Ronaldo took to his Instagram page to allay the fears of his adoring fans by posting a photo showing him waving at the fans from the team bus with the caption "See you soon."