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Soccer money is different.
If you want to see the great Lionel Messi play in person when Inter Miami comes to Red Bull Arena next month, you’ll need to welly up some big bucks.
That’s because the cheapest seats available on SeatGeek and StubHub for the New York Red Bulls’ Aug. 26 home match against Messi’s new team are more than $400. And there’s only a handful of seats remaining for under $500.
Most of the tickets for the match are are on sale for more than $1,000. A front Row, midfield seat is listed at $11,670 on SeatGeek. StubHub seems slightly kinder on the wallet — the site features a second-row ticket at centerfield for $7,668.
Messi’s signing with Inter Miami for a base salary of $54 million has taken the American sports world by storm this summer. Even Major League Baseball teams are selling Messi baseball jerseys to cash in on the Argentinian’s U.S. presence.
A Miami-hot start
Messi already has scored three goals for Inter Miami in two games.
On Friday, July 21, he came off the bench in the 54th minute of Miami’s first Leagues Cup match against Mexican club Cruz Azul in a Leagues Cup match and gave a home crowd of 21,000 a moment they hoped for when the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion for Argentina decided to take his talents to MLS — converting the game-winning free kick in stoppage time.
Following up on his smashing debut, Messi scored twice and had an assist Tuesday, July 25, in his first start for Inter Miami, a 4-0 win over Atlanta United.
The 36-year-old superstar is just what the doctor ordered for Inter Miami, who sit in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference.
Top photo: Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) gestures after scoring late in the second half of a Leagues Cup soccer match against Cruz Azul, Friday, July 21, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
