Lionel Messi is recruiting for MLS just by being in the league.
Take the example of Atlético Madrid star Antoine Griezmann, who has apparently been following Messi’s exploits with Inter Miami.
Per the France attacker, following his former Barcelona teammate is a “target.”
“Yes, I’m following [Messi],” said Griezmann in a press conference previewing the La Liga season with broadcast partner ESPN. “He’s incredible and I think it’s the best thing MLS have done to bring in Leo, in terms of marketing and in terms of football.
“My target is to end up [in MLS], with everything that I like about American sports,” added Griezmann “Playing in MLS and enjoying myself, being able to win things and be at my best level.”
That said, don’t expect the 32-year-old to make that move in the next couple of months. After an excellent 2022-23 with Atléti, Griezmann says his short-term plans are to pick up some hardware at his current club.
“First I want to make history here and win trophies at Atléti. After that we’ll see,” stated Griezmann. “I think the arrival of Leo [Messi], [Sergio Busquets] and Jordi [Alba] is good for the league. That and signing younger players, especially from South America, it’s the best thing the league can do.”
Griezmann parallels in MLS
While it wouldn’t quite be fair to expect Griezmann to walk into MLS and, for example, turn the league’s worst team into a potential trophy-winner immediately, there are parallels that can be drawn concerning a potential future move.
Thierry Henry, another France forward to play for Barcelona, joined the New York Red Bulls in 2010 aged 33. The Red Bulls had put together a strong season before Henry’s arrival, and actually saw its points-per-game pace drop slightly (from 1.73 to 1.67) with him in the fold.
That team would eventually crash out of the playoffs after being upset by the San Jose Earthquakes, but Henry’s arrival changed the club’s internal culture, culminating in a first-ever trophy (the 2013 Supporters’ Shield). Henry also produced, scoring 51 times and adding 42 assists in 122 appearances.
Wayne Rooney was another huge name to go to MLS at age 33, and he too had an experience that projects favorably for Griezmann. Rooney joined a D.C. United team coming off of a miserable 2017 just as the club opened Audi Field, and the combination of Rooney’s stellar play and a slate full of home games saw a transformation not too far removed from what Inter Miami has managed with Messi.
Again, the standards changed with Rooney, and in one-and-a-half seasons the former England international produced 23 goals and 15 assists. After returning to England to begin his coaching career, Rooney is back in MLS as a head coach.
Still, there are no guarantees. For one thing, other huge names have found the sledding a bit tougher. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was unstoppable as an individual, but the LA Galaxy infamously missed the playoffs in his first season in MLS, and have followed the star Swedish forward’s departure with a series of erratic seasons.
MLS clubs will also have to face a new reality: players of Griezmann’s profile, at least for the time being, have the option of gigantic paydays in Saudi Arabia.
Griezmann admitted that the kind of nine-figure deals some of his contemporaries (like France teammate Karim Benzema) have signed would require serious consideration, regardless of how much he’d like to play in MLS.
“If [a Saudi offer] happened to me, I’d have to talk about it with my family and my kids,” explained Griezmann. “They’re very high numbers, they can give you security.”
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