In October, there was the Connor Bedard madness for his first game against the Canadian at the Bell Center and a resale of tickets at sky-high prices. But with Lionel Messi coming to town next May, we are reaching the stratosphere.
“I’m trying to put it into perspective. This is an already existing phenomenon. If the Rolling Stones showed up in Osheaga or Taylor Swift participated in the Fuego Fuego Festival, there would be the same madness. There are people who would buy a pass for the entire festival, but they would have an incentive to resell one evening of the show in order to make a profit.
“We have to accept that Messi goes beyond MLS and soccer in general. He is a global star and perhaps the best player of all time. We will have an opportunity to see him in Montreal.”
The one who talks about the craze for Messi is Patrick Leduc, a former member of the Montreal Impact and today soccer culture director for the club.
On May 11, Messi and his team, Inter Miami, will arrive at Stade Saputo to face CF Montreal. Arriving in MLS since July 2023, the Argentinian will play for the first time on Montreal soil.
A bargain with a subscription
Five months before this meeting against Miami, there are already significant repercussions on ticket sales in Montreal. Since unveiling the schedule for the 2024 MLS season on Wednesday afternoon, CF Montreal has already sold hundreds of season tickets.
“The phone doesn’t stop ringing, it’s crazy,” said Roberto Linhares, sales director with CF Montreal. In less than 24 hours, we sold over 500 subscriptions. It goes away quickly.”
CF Montreal, which had already set a record with more than 10,000 subscriptions for 2024 before the announcement of the official calendar, therefore expects to see this figure continue to climb.
And the Messi effect, even for just one meeting, is no stranger to this.
“I would advise people to look at the season tickets that are still available,” Leduc recalled. It’s more affordable. And you have 17 matches, not just one.”
On the CF Montréal website, the cost of a subscription for the 17 matches at Stade Saputo varies before taxes between $443.86 and $2749.91. When we look on a resale site, the price for the meeting against Messi ranges between $621 and $4445.
There are unscrupulous people who have sniffed out a good deal. They bought a subscription, the only way for the moment to obtain a ticket, and they are looking to resell it at a high price.
“There is a legal form of resale, it is permitted,” replied Leduc. It remains supply and demand. But it is an immense phenomenon. We were not at the same time in the club’s history, but the arrival of David Beckham made it possible to fill the Olympic Stadium in 2012 (60,860 supporters). He scored a goal in a 1-1 draw. I’m not predicting the result on May 11, but you never know.
For May 11, CF Montreal did not look towards the Olympic Stadium. There are several reasons for this choice, but the simplest is that the old Expos home was not available due to problems with its roof. An eternal scourge.
Dad and son
Maxime Lalonde, a host on BPM sports radio, is one of those who invested for 2024. But he did it for a nobler reason than to fill his pockets.
“My boy Milan has been playing soccer since last year and I wanted to give him this match against Lionel Messi. We watch Messi matches together. He already has his Leo jersey with Argentina and the black one from Miami. Of the 17 matches, I will go to see several matches with my son and I will sell other matches to friends, but at the real price of the ticket.
The sale of tickets for a single match will open in 2024 for CF Montreal.
Lionel Messi in numbers
- 1: World Cup champion with Argentina (2022)
- 4: Champions League winner with FC Barcelona
- 8: Golden Ball winner (best player in the world)
- 9: winner of the title of best player in La Liga (Spain)
- 10: his number
- 20.4: his salary in US dollars in MLS in 2023
- 36: his age
- 840: number of goals
Messi’s impact in North America
50-60: Messi will earn between 50 and 60 million in advertising revenue with MLS and Apple TV.
500: the average price to see Messi in New York (Red Bulls) and Los Angeles (LAFC) in 2023.
500: the day after announcing Messi’s signing for Miami, Inter increased their followers by 500% on Instagram. Inter Miami now has more subscribers than all teams in the NFL, NHL and MLB.
12.5: the number of viewers in the United States (in millions) who watched Messi’s first match in the Inter Miami uniform against Cruz d’Azul. Highest total for an MLS match since 2004.