On Monday night, Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates—Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba—were defeated 4-3 by the Saudi team Al-Hilal.
David Beckham announced his intention to transform Inter Miami into the New York Yankees of soccer in June of last year.
The Manchester United icon declared, “I want to create a brand like they have.” “As soon as you see the Yankees hat, you instantly recognize it. I want people to recognize the Miami brand and cap when they see them going around in our baseball caps.”
Given that Lionel Messi’s shirt is by far the best-selling in Major League Soccer, Beckham has made significant progress toward that goal. But if what happened on Monday night is any indication, Miami won’t soon be compared to the Yankees in the sport of soccer.
The Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, who Messi turned down to go with Miami, defeated Beckham’s globetrotters 4-3 in Riyadh. Miami was always second best in the Riyadh Season Cup opening, even though they had four of Barcelona’s modern-day greats: Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba.
In barely ten minutes, Aleksandar Mitrovic—a striker who finished the previous season with 14 goals in 24 Premier League games for Fulham—scored the first goal. Abdullah Al-Hamdan gave the home team a 2-0 lead a few moments later.
Before Brazilian sensation Michael restored Al-Hilal’s two-goal lead, Suarez scored his first goal back for Miami. Then, in the span of two minutes, Messi tied the score by winning a penalty kick and assisting David Ruiz in scoring the equalizer. However, Malcolm, another Brazilian for Al-Hilal, sealed a 4-3 triumph with a late goal.
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There’s no denying Miami’s marketability because of Messi and his former Barcelona teammates. However, the Yankees are more than just a business.
They are the most successful club in baseball, which is one of the key reasons they are the most marketable. More than any other team, the Yankees have won a record 27 World Series titles. With 11 titles, the St. Louis Cardinals are their closest rivals.
Miami needs to be just as successful on the field as they are off it if Beckham is serious about making them the Yankees of soccer. Furthermore, it is not good news to lose to Al-Hilal, who have recently drawn younger, more hungry talents from European leagues.
In their subsequent match, Beckham’s team will be eager to respond, but it won’t be simple either. against Thursday, they take against Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, in Riyadh. The next development in the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry will be interesting to watch.
