​In a shocking move last week, Lionel Messi decided to leave European professional soccer and instead come to the United States. His destination: Major League Soccer’s very own Inter Miami.

​I don’t know if Messi needs any introduction, but just in case, let me introduce you to him: multiple time champion of Spain and France’s leagues, league cup winner, UEFA Champions League winner, seven-time Ballon D’Or winner, and FIFA Men’s World Cup winner. A walking collection of w’s, Messi is considered arguably the greatest soccer player to ever grace a field.

​The lad was still being courted by top European clubs with a return move to Barcelona looking evermore likely as summer went on. Not to mention, the Saudi Arabian league was prepared to make him the richest athlete in the world in a deal that would’ve seen him make over $400 million per year.

​So, why Major League soccer?

​Well, there’s a lot of circulating facts and rumors about what led to Messi’s decision to come to Miami. David Beckham (heart throb) owns the team and has made a similar MLS move in the past. Also, along with a handsome salary, Messi is expected to potentially receive some sort of shares with Apple and Adidas (I’m not a finance guy so don’t come at me).

​Regardless, the brilliant Argentine is here now, and it’s now time for Messi-Mania to sweep the states.

​The move means a lot for Major League Soccer. MLS has been trying to improve its brand and compete for talent and prestige with the best leagues in the world. Getting a GOAT candidate certainly helps with that.

​Within a few days after his announcement to join MLS, Inter Miami’s Instagram page skyrocketed from 1 million to over 5 million followers. Not to mention, tickets for Inter Miami’s games all sold out for the remainder of the season with resale costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars to go see the magician live.

​So, in the short term, this is a great move for Major League Soccer. But what about the long term?

​Well, Major League Soccer has a history for poaching aging talent and giving them a new market to grow their brands (David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to name the biggest ones). However, other leagues, including the Saudi Arabian topflight, are giving out massive contracts to aging stars to boost their own league reputations.

​MLS cannot offer that kind of money. So, they will instead have to offer a market.

​Messi gambled by deciding to come here. With the FIFA Women’s World Cup on the horizon, the United States Women’s National Team comes in as one of the tournament favorites. And when it’s World Cup time, the United States tends to start caring more about soccer.

​Not to mention, the United States, Canada, and Mexico will be hosting the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2026. This gives Messi a three-year window of time to play here and not only benefit on the rising soccer hype in the US, but also the chance to use that hype to further grow interest in the game (and thus his own brand).

​And with Major League Soccer continuing to grow and become more respectable as time goes on (yes I said it and I will stand by it), the pathway for Messi to be the soccer engine in this country is wide open.

​And if this works, if Messi can help drive this train forward, we are talking about the largest sports and media market in the world invested in the world’s most popular sport. Eyes will be glued to these top-level players and thus glued to the projects they promote or the things they sell.

​If this all pans out, MLS will be able to offer an unbeatable market to athletes who may be unsure as to where they want to go. Sure, it may not be the upfront cash that might intrigue so many players these days (and hey, go get your bag).

​But if you want to play this thing long term, you’ll want to grow your brand. And with Messi coming to Inter Miami, the seeds are planted to grow the best marketing environment for soccer athletes: the United States.

​And if the game grows and brings big talent here on a consistent basis, that will then feed into home-grown interest and grow the game in this country even more. It is a self-feeding cycle that will continue to lift each aspect of itself onwards and upwards.

​That means bigger names coming in from abroad, but also being grown here. The men’s team will grow into the juggernaut many want it to be, and the women’s team will continue to foster a culture of kicking. . . butt and taking names.

And maybe, just maybe, the United States will become the greatest, most undeniable soccer nation in the world.

​I know, I know, that’s incredibly ambitious. Messi’s move to MLS might flame out with little to no success. It might not have a long-term impact on the growth of the game here.

​But let a plus-sized, purple-haired sportswriter dream. Because if it goes well, this dream sounds pretty cool to me.

Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Thought Bubble. Thought Bubble is a weekly reoccurring sports column that is designed to humorously discuss sporting ideas that, while perhaps ridiculous, are intriguing, nonetheless.