The arrival of Lionel Messi in the professional soccer league of the United States (MLS), more precisely in Inter Miami, by David Beckham, stirred the American society, as it has not happened in a long time.

King Pelé arrived at the NY Cosmos in 1975, and with him an important group of established stars, such as Frank Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Neeskens, Giorgio Chinaglia and Jui César Romero (Romerito), to name the most relevant.

At that time, while football was already undoubtedly the king of sports, the football industry was still in the process of development. Only big stars made good money.

Even with these limitations, the arrival of Pelé marked a before and after in a society where baseball, American football, basketball and ice hockey captured the attention of the masses.

With Pelé on the lawn, the so-called football for the first time became a sports spectacle that attracted the attention of the world, and above all of North American society.

From that time until today, the state of football in the US has changed radically.

Although it certainly still stands behind sports traditionally rooted in American culture, in a society with more than 300 million inhabitants, where more and more immigrants live from countries where football is an undisputed passion, and where football enters from all sides, and in real time, thanks to satellite television, social networks and multiple platforms, the situation is fundamentally different today.

Added to that is the success of the women’s team footballwhich won the World Championship four times, as well as the good performances of the so-called the USA national team at the world football championships.

And now Messi’s arrival in Miami has turned the country upside down.

Just to illustrate a bit what this represents: Inter Miami’s Instagram account had 1.6 million followers before the news of Messi’s arrival. Today, just two weeks after the announcement, the account has 8.3 million followers.

What to say about the ticket prices for the matches, or the fact that the stadiums will surely explode when Messi plays, or the stars already announced to come to MLS, or the sales of shirts, merchandise, advertisements, etc.

This week I read a news story announcing an avalanche of real estate purchases in Miami with the arrival of Messi at Inter.

In other words, Messi has arrived in the United States and it will change history football forever. I don’t doubt it in the slightest. In addition, it is worth reminding that the next World Cup will be held on the territory of North America.

So don’t be surprised, dear reader, that if Beckham’s plans come true and immigration and ethnic trends continue, in a few years soccer will become the king of sports in the US (O)