Lionel Messi’s visit to Philadelphia is like Michael Jordan coming to town

A soccer god descends to Philly on Tuesday night, and for those for whom fútbol is an annoyance and Lionel Messi is just a name, consider this parallel.

Michael Jordan retired for a second time before the 1998-99 season, the same season when Dirk Nowitzki was a rookie after being drafted ninth overall. By the time Jordan unretired for a second time, with the Washington Wizards in 2001, Nowitzki was on his way to the Hall of Fame. Still, Dirk is grateful that, against all odds, he got the chance to play on the same court as the best player in history, even if Air Jordan wasn’t flying quite as high.

» READ MORE: Lionel Messi’s visit to Philly is a measuring stick for the Union beyond just the game

“He was a little up there in age [39], but it was still amazing,” Nowitzki told The Dan Patrick Show last year. “I mean, he guarded me a couple of possessions on the post, and I tried to post him up, and I was excited. I remember just shooting a brutal fadeaway. I don’t think I even made it, but I was just so hyped to play against MJ and be on the same court as my idol.”

Those same words might be said by any number of Union players 10 years from now as they reflect on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, when they play Inter Miami in a Leagues Cup semifinal.

“I cannot believe he’s going to be on the same pitch as me,” said Joaquín Torres, a 26-year-old midfielder from Messi’s home country, Argentina. “It’s a dream come true for me, to share the field with him. I’ve admired him since I was a little kid. He motivated me. He gave me a lot of happiness.”

Center back Jakob Glesnes, the hulking Norwegian whom “The Flea” will pester Tuesday, circled the date weeks ago. Messi joined Inter Miami too late for the teams’ meeting in late June, but if things fell right during the Leagues Cup ...

“I’ve thought about this game for a month,” Glesnes said. “I knew if both of the teams were winning, that would mean Messi would be in Philly.“

Midfielder and captain Alejandro Bedoya has missed all five Leagues Cup matches with a quadriceps injury, but he’s scheduled to return Tuesday, and he’s been dreaming about scoring the winner in Messi’s Philadelphia debut:

“As players, you think about that stuff,” he admitted. “I like to visualize certain things. You visualize it, you can manifest it.”

Twenty-five years ago, kids all over the world wanted to be like Mike.

For the last 20 years, kids all over the world have wanted to be like Messi.

He is, arguably, the greatest player in the history of soccer. His defection from elite-level pro soccer to the MLS at the age of 36 might turn out to be the international sports story of the century, especially if it turns soccer into a mainstream sport in the United States.

His visit is, inarguably, the biggest moment in the history of the Union.

“This is the biggest game our stadium has ever had,” said Jim Curtin, who is in his 10th season as the Union’s coach. “To have Lionel Messi here, in a semifinal, an elimination game, is something that’s incredible for the city.”

» READ MORE: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami to play the Union at Subaru Park: Time, tickets, TV, and more

Such a giant of the game is the 5-foot-7 Messi that Tuesday’s game eclipses the Union’s home Eastern Conference final match in October. The Leagues Cup is just a $40 million monthlong tournament among the teams from Mexico’s Liga MX and the MLS, but, thanks to Messi, the two events are not comparable.

After Inter Miami and the Union won their quarterfinal matches Friday night, tickets went on sale at 2 p.m. Saturday. They were sold out by 2:08. Sunday night, Stubhub.com listed one VIP ticket at $6,750. Another, front-row center, was $22,000. At least both included parking.

That’s what happens when the G.O.A.T. comes to town. But is he still the G.O.A.T.?

Probably not.

Messi won the Ballon d’Or (loosely, the soccer world’s MVP) seven times from 2009-21, all with FC Barcelona in Spain. He spent the last two seasons with Paris Saint-Germain and helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup.

So, why is he the newest Florida Man? Because his relationship with PSG soured, Barcelona couldn’t afford him, and he didn’t want to play in the Saudi Pro League for all the black gold in Saudi Arabia. He’ll reportedly make between $125 million and $150 million in the next 2½ years, including an ownership stake in his club. He also will get a Jordan-like deal with Adidas, as well as a cut of the revenue from new subscribers to Apple TV’s MLS package; Apple and MLS began a 10-year, $2.5 billion partnership this year.

Also, like so many people who make their millions in Europe, he’s got a house in Miami. They think it’s classy.

» READ MORE: Jim Curtin says Union ‘won’t be scared’ going up against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami

The unspoken reality is, of course, Messi in 2023 isn’t the Messi of 2021, but then, what thirty-something is? He’s found a place that will pay him handsomely to cruise into his 40s. It’s been a hell of a cruise so far.

Messi has eight goals and one assist in his five Leagues Cup games, which is the all-time record for the tournament, now in its fourth edition. Inter Miami currently has 18 points in the MLS, which is dead last, but then, Messi hasn’t played an MLS match yet. It’s like Creighton somehow signing LeBron James just before the NCAA Tournament and LeBron setting the all-time NCAA scoring record in the national semifinal.

It’s not like a kid from Creighton setting an NBA record. The MLS and Liga MX are not the majors. They’re not England’s Premier League, or Spain’s La Liga, or Germany’s Bundesliga. But they’re not nothing, and Messi might make them better.

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham might have been more recognizable to Americans when he left Europe in 2007 to join the Los Angeles Galaxy at the age of 32, but Messi is easily the best player the MLS has ever seen.

With apologies to Pelé, who visited in 1973 and 1976, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who visited in 2011 ... and, really, throw in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers and Reginald Howard White.

Whether the ball’s round or oblong, after Tuesday, Lionel Messi will be the best footballer to have ever played in Philadelphia.

» READ MORE: A look back at when Pelé played in Philadelphia

“It’s a surreal feeling, to be honest, knowing that Lionel Messi, the greatest player our sport has ever had, is coming to Subaru Park to play against the Philadelphia Union,” Curtin said.

That said ...

“It’s also a semifinal. I know our fans will come out and support us. We’re playing in a stadium where we haven’t lost a lot of games in the past [four] years.”

The Union are 41-4-11 at home in the last four years. They’ve won big games against good players. Will the Messi Effect nullify the home-field mystique?

“I don’t expect us to be awestruck,” said Bedoya. “Messi is Messi. But we’ve got 11 players on the field who are going to do the best we can to get to the final on our field.”

The deep, versatile Union reached the MLS Cup final last season. The team’s 40 points rank fourth in the MLS, which put a monthlong hold on its season for the Leagues Cup.

Curtin said his planned scheme will try to both limit Messi’s touches and the distribution magic of defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets, a 35-year-old Spaniard and former Messi teammate who left Barcelona in June to join Messi in Miami.

“We know we have a great team and can play a great game against him,” Torres said. “We know what he represents.”

“For me, he is the best player ever,” Glesnes said. “It will be nice to be able to say you were on the field, playing against the greatest. But when you’re on the field, he’s just a guy you want to beat.”

So was Mike, that March afternoon in D.C.

Jordan scored 10 points.

Dirk had 23, and won.