FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates winning the World Cup with the trophy REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo
(Reuters) - Lionel Messi's announcement that he plans to take his talents to South Beach sent prices for Inter Miami tickets on the secondary market into the stratosphere on Wednesday as fans clamoured for a chance to see the Argentine great play on U.S. soil.
Ticket prices surged following reports early on Wednesday that he planned to join the Major League Soccer side, which he later confirmed.
Messi's first game with the team could be on July 21 when Inter Miami host Cruz Azul in their Leagues Cup opener in Fort Lauderdale.
The lowest price for a ticket for that game on Tuesday was a mere $29 but on Wednesday the price rocketed to $329 - a 1,034% jump - according to TickPick.
Messi's first game in a Miami jersey will likely be the most expensive MLS game on record, Kyle Zorn, brand manager at TickPick, told Reuters.
"We saw an almost instantaneous jump in Inter Miami ticket prices when the word got out that Messi was leaning towards joining the club," Zorn said.
"Given his status as arguably the greatest player in the world, every time Inter Miami plays on the road, we’re going to see record breaking ticket prices."
Inter Miami's road games that saw the biggest jump in prices included the team's visit to the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 26 (1,236% increase) and their trip to Southern California to face LAFC on Sept. 3 (420% increase), the ticket retailer said.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby Davis)
