The Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs kicked off with a bang as Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, fresh off receiving the Golden Boot for his 29-goal regular season, powered his team to a 3–1 victory over Nashville SC in the first game of their best-of-three Round One playoff series. Messi, ever the maestro, added two more goals to his tally, but it was MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s bold pre-game remarks that sparked a fiery debate about the Argentine superstar’s impact on the league.
Presenting Messi with his Golden Boot award on Friday night, Garber didn’t hold back. “I don’t think we ever could have imagined that Leo would have been able to deliver for this club, for this city, and for this league the way he had,” he said, beaming with enthusiasm. The commissioner’s excitement was fueled further by news that Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players ever, will extend his stay with Inter Miami through 2028. Garber went even further, claiming, “He has reset the trajectory for Major League Soccer,” adding that the league was “already doing pretty well” before Messi’s arrival. For Garber, three more years of Messi is a “gift that keeps on giving,” a thrill for fans and a boon for the sport in the United States.
There’s no denying Messi’s brilliance on the pitch. His 29 goals in the regular season and playoff heroics speak for themselves. But Garber’s assertion that Messi has “reset” the MLS’s trajectory has raised eyebrows, especially as some key metrics paint a less rosy picture. According to John Muller’s recent analysis in The Guardian, average MLS attendances have actually dropped by 5.5% year-on-year. Meanwhile, Apple TV’s move to make this year’s playoffs available without requiring an MLS Pass add-on suggests that demand for the league’s product might not be as robust as Garber’s enthusiasm implies.
Inter Miami, however, has undeniably felt the Messi effect. The club, co-founded by David Beckham in 2018, was valued at around $600 million before Messi’s arrival. Now, in 2025, Forbes pegs its valuation at a staggering $1.2 billion, with revenues spiking in tandem. Messi’s brand power has turned Miami into a financial juggernaut, but the rising tide hasn’t lifted all boats across the MLS. Other teams haven’t seen a comparable boost, and even Miami’s home games aren’t guaranteed sellouts. At the recent playoff opener at Chase Stadium, empty seats were noticeable, with tickets available for as low as $28 just two hours before kickoff.
Garber’s claim places Messi at the center of a heated debate: Is he truly transforming the MLS, or is his impact more localized to Miami’s balance sheet? While his on-field magic is unquestionable, the broader league-wide metrics suggest the jury is still out. As the playoffs heat up, all eyes will be on Messi—not just for his goals, but for whether he can indeed deliver the league-wide transformation Garber so boldly predicts. For now, the debate rages on, and Messi, as always, remains the spark.