Inter Miami’s trip to LA marks the passing of the “torch” from the old flashy brand of MLS to the new brand, from the legacy of David Beckham to the era of Lionel Messi.

The atmosphere surrounding Lionel Messi’s latest match at Dignity Stadium was characterized by enthusiasm, anticipation and excitement. This place was once called home by David Beckham. The Becks star brought MLS to global fame during his five and a half seasons at the Los Angeles Galaxy Club.

Messi – who became the first MLS player to win the Ballon d’Or as a player for Inter Miami – now becomes the league’s star sensation to extend that influence in his first full season . But without Beckham, the idea of ​​Messi playing in MLS would just be a fantasy.

MLS official Don Garber said: “If it weren’t for Becks, there wouldn’t be Leo Messi. Someone wrote an article saying ‘Will David Beckham change the direction of soccer in America?’. I would like to confirm that Becks not only did it once but did it twice.”

Beckham, one of the co-founders and co-owners of Inter Miami, not only recruited the Argentine superstar but also turned the club into a “Barca retirement team” branch in Miami by signing contracts with 3 teammates. Messi’s exes, including Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

All four players were in the starting line-up on Sunday night against Galaxy, with Messi and Alba combining for a picture-perfect goal two minutes into  second-half stoppage time, tying the tie. team drew 1-1.

The crowd of more than 20,000 spectators – the largest in 10 years and the largest for a Galaxy regular season game in club history, with 27,642 people – exploded. Messi and Alba hug each other. The crowd responded with chants of “Me-ssi, Me-ssi, Me-ssi!”

Messi in the final stages of creating a masterpiece that ecstatic Galaxy fans

That crowd included more than 30 stars from entertainment and sports – including Novak Djokovic, Edward Norton, Halle Berry, Liv Tyler and Halle Berry. Meanwhile, Beckham enjoyed Messi’s goal with extreme satisfaction.

“Everyone sees Messi’s qualities when holding the ball,” Galaxy director Greg Vanney said. “For me, Messi is the superior brain on the pitch, seeing different spaces, knowing where everyone is, how to arrange the next sequence of actions – not just the next pass but It’s the next pass. There are only 90 minutes of calculation.”

Vanney personally knows what a difference an international superstar can make. Vanney played for the Galaxy for his first six seasons, 1996-2001, before moving to Europe, then ending his career with the Galaxy in 2008 – Beckham’s first full season in LA.

“Galaxy already had a fan base of several hundred thousand before he arrived,” Vanney said. Before that, when I was in Europe, people heard but didn’t know about MLS and didn’t watch the tournament. Then Beckham walked in. Now, the number of Galaxy fans reaches millions, covering the whole world.”

Messi’s goal culminated a day full of enthusiasm. About 3 hours before the match started, fans crowded into a parking lot that was nearly 60% full. A band of five Mexican-American musicians plays local music. A fan wore a shirt with the words “Messi is GOAT” with the letter “G” firmly attached to the Galaxy badge.

Reporter Sophie Nicolaou noticed a fundamental difference between the reaction to Messi’s first match with Galaxy and the fans’ reaction to Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “I saw it was really crazy in the Beckham era and then in the Zlatan era,” she said.

“But this is the first time I’ve attended a match and I’m not sure I’ve seen a match as exciting as this right from 2 and a half hours before kickoff. You can feel the passionate atmosphere. I know people always want to compare Beckham and Messi. But this is crazy.”

In the stadium, most fans were cheering for Galaxy or Messi. Messi fans wear Miami’s black away jersey with pink trim with Messi’s name and number 10 on the back. One family wore black Messi shirts, one husband wore Miami’s all-pink Messi kit – complete with shorts and socks – while his 2 daughters wore pink Messi shirts and his wife wore a black.

“It shows us what a cultural icon Messi is,” Nicolaou continued. “The same thing happens with Beckham: people go to watch MU or Real Madrid matches. That’s when players move beyond football and into popular culture. I think Messi, Beckham and Zlatan have intersected and integrated into popular culture just because of their popularity.”

For Eduard Cauich, sports editor of the Spanish edition of the Los Angeles Times, Messi represents a greater focus on soccer than Beckham’s diverse influence in popular culture. “Beckham is very different,” Cauich said.

“Beckham plays football but he is involved in a lot of things off the field. I think Messi is for those who love and appreciate football at a more international level. Even people who don’t like Messi respect him for his talent. It’s a luxury that MLS has him here. I think fans are more mature now and they appreciate a star like that.”

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Johnny Cano, a Galaxy fan, even noticed the difference. “I think Messi has a different impact now. It has everything to do with everything from the World Cup to the clubs he has played for. Messi is much more famous, has more recognition, so he is definitely very different from Beckham.”

Perhaps the biggest difference lies in MLS’s ability to meet the demands that an international superstar brings. Joe Tutino, Galaxy’s MC since 1999, recalled Beckham’s debut in July 2007 in a friendly match against Chelsea.

“It was a crazy act. I think at the time, MLS didn’t know how to deal with a superstar like David Beckham, and certainly the Galaxy didn’t know how to deal with him in the first place. I think MLS is a bit more mature now.”

However, a ruckus is still a ruckus. “The hype is growing,” said Miguel Gonzalez, a member of the Galaxy’s largest fan base. When Beckham is here, everyone is happy to see Beckham. But as soon as we knew Messi was coming, the whole city was talking excitedly.”

Garber hopes that the excitement will increase the prominence of MLS and stimulate growth. “To me, this says a lot about where we were in 2007 and today. I feel MLS has a lot of momentum since Messi arrived.

We were on track to have our best year ever and we did it. We launched our partnership with Apple, launched the League Cup, and there’s more to come. When Leo came in, he took it to the next level.”