0:00
is this fan's final chance a final ride
0:03
to see Leo this season uh that's a tough
0:05
question Damon because it's hard to know
0:07
what's in Lionel Messi's mind and in his
0:09
heart uh I think uh personally that he
0:12
will want to play another season into
0:14
2026 leading into the World Cup that's
0:17
coming to the United States Mexico and
0:19
Canada um but listen as with all great
0:23
athletes father time is undefeated uh
0:26
and Lena Messi is getting older um so I
0:30
certainly while I can't tell you if this
0:31
is his last year I know for a fact that
0:34
it will come to an end uh relatively
0:36
soon as it does with all athletes and so
0:39
uh if fans want to see the greatest
0:41
player that's ever lived uh they should
0:43
absolutely try to tune in to every game
0:45
he's a part of you know what Beckham's
0:49
arrival in MLS did it really shuffled
0:53
the league into a different stratosphere
0:55
of notoriety attendance etc feels like
0:58
Leo was 2.0 for Beckham but really to a
1:02
next level so since you were part of MLS
1:06
when Beckham was there and then you're
1:08
watching this as an analyst what do you
1:10
see as comparisons and what do you see
1:12
as what Messi did even bigger or the
1:14
league did bigger this time around yeah
1:18
there's absolutely a comparison to be
1:20
had there Damon uh obviously when David
1:22
Beckham arrived in 2007 I think it was
1:25
almost a an an oh crap moment like no
1:28
one expected MLS to be able to recruit
1:31
and sign a player of such high stature
1:34
uh as they did with David Beckham and it
1:36
launched the league into a different
1:38
stratosphere uh with the introduction of
1:41
designated players uh you had any team
1:43
in the league able to go sign these
1:46
global superstars um and really increase
1:49
the the visibility and the quality of
1:52
the league uh now when when David
1:55
Beckham came over to MLS in 2007 you
1:57
know the league was still relatively
1:59
young I think there were still question
2:00
marks about the future of the league
2:03
Lionel Messi and when he came over to
2:05
MLS uh there's no questions about the
2:07
health of the league but you're right uh
2:09
it just kind of poured rocket fuel on
2:12
where the league was already headed um
2:14
the differences between Beckham and
2:16
Messi you know Beckham as a commercial
2:18
aspect and property was probably a
2:20
bigger draw but Lionel Messi is the
2:23
greatest soccer player that's ever lived
2:25
and so you just have an appetite I think
2:28
from a more global audience that wants
2:32
to follow him and and watch him play and
2:34
so uh for me the the partnership between
2:36
MLS and Apple it gives fans from all
2:39
over the world an opportunity to see
2:42
this guy play in what could be his last
2:44
couple of seasons and so uh Leon Messi
2:47
has been brilliant for the league uh
2:49
every time he is on the field it's
2:51
mustwatch box office stuff and by the
2:54
way he continues to play at such a high
2:57
level uh not only being the best player
2:59
in MLS but also still leading the
3:00
Argentine national team into a very
3:03
important year for them going into the
3:04
2026 World Cup i was part of the New
3:07
England Revolution's telecasts in 10 11
3:10
and 12 i was the sideline reporter there
3:12
and so I saw what the Beckham effect was
3:15
in New England and also the rest of the
