It’s official: Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi is scheduled to play in front of a Montreal crowd next year.
The MLS revealed its 2024 schedule Wednesday, and one date CF Montreal fans better circle is the first home match against Inter Miami, who signed Messi to a massive two-and-a-half-year deal this past summer.
Miami’s next match at Saputo Stadium will take place on Saturday, May 11, with kickoff time set for 7:30 pm ET.
As Messi plays for the Eastern Conference rival Miami, Montreal will also be travelling down to Florida for a road game on Sunday, March 10.
Ticket details are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Messi, who has won a record eight Ballon d’Or awards as the world’s top player, played in just six MLS matches for the club in 2023, scoring a goal and adding two assists.
But it was the Leagues Cup — a tournament comprised of MLS and Liga MX teams from Mexico — where Messi showed off his world-class skill set, scoring 10 goals in just seven matches en route to Inter Miami winning the title.
Unsurprisingly, sold-out stadiums have become a staple when Miami hits the road with the football legend in their lineup.
In a July interview with Daily Hive, Inter Miami defender Kamal Miller said that the importance of Messi playing in front of other markets can be a huge difference-maker in helping to grow the game across the continent.
“There’s no one better to bring more attention to the game. We can have a game in Columbus, and there are probably thousands of people in that city wouldn’t who would have never thought to go to a soccer game,” the Canadian explained. “But now they know the best ever is going to be right down the road from them.”
Messi spent nearly two decades with FC Barcelona before departing for France’s Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. The pinnacle of his career was reached at age 35 in 2022 when his Argentinian side won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The full CF Montreal schedule is available below:
Le calendrier de la saison MLS 2024, présentée par @BMOfr, est arrivé 👊
The 2024 @MLS schedule is here 🗓️
RĂ©servez vos places pour chaque match en devenant membre >>> https://t.co/cBym1j9wTV#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/FFxRsiskVU
— CF MontrĂ©al (@cfmontreal) December 20, 2023
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With files from Daily Hive’s Adam Laskaris
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