Lionel Messi, certainly one of the greatest footballers of all time and quite likely the greatest of all time (or GOAT), kicks off his tenure in MLS on Friday—and it could be the biggest moment ever for the league a few years away from its 30th birthday.
Messi shocked the soccer world in June, saying he had decided to go to Miami in a complex whopper of a deal that will see him earning income not just from MLS, but corporate partners Apple and Adidas as well. Still, that’s far less than he was being offered to play in Saudi Arabia, which pursued him doggedly. (Cristiano Ronaldo currently earns over $100 million a year playing in that league.)
