Messi fans climb trees and other things to sneak a peek at soccer mega-star in Vancouver
Lionel Messi has arrived in Vancouver, and his presence is already being felt across the city.
Messi and his Inter Miami CF teammates landed safely yesterday ahead of their Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final against the Vancouver Whitecaps. They were immediately greeted by fans who were waiting at the airport, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Argentine star.
The mayhem around Messi hasn’t stopped there. Soccer fans across Vancouver have been doing whatever they can just to get their eyes on the international soccer star.
Miami and Messi practiced at UBC yesterday, and there were large groups of people waiting for them. Fans were climbing onto the surrounding fence and poking their heads out to see Messi train.
@pele9guzman me watching messi ššš #Messi #intermiami #tmz #tmznews #whitecaps #vancouver @Kokosflicksšø ā¬ original sound – cashflips1
Some fans even tried to climb the trees surrounding the training area to get a better view, helping one another reach a higher vantage point.
Fans will try and climb trees just to get a glimpse of Lionel #Messi. #InterMiamiCF#VANvMIA pic.twitter.com/DGbhK9L7ZJ
— Har Journalist (@HarJournalist) April 24, 2025
Fans have also been gathering outside the team’s hotel downtown, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bus carrying Messi. A small crowd gathered outside the hotel’s entrance, cheering when two Miami buses with tinted windows drove past, carrying players to yesterday’s UBC training session.
Messi Mania.#VWFC pic.twitter.com/G0fOZ7i1wy
— Noah Strang (@noahstrang_) April 24, 2025
The Whitecaps have announced the game is sold out, and a record crowd of more than 53,000 fans is expected at BC Place. That would be the highest number in club history for an MLS match, beating the 51,035 that showed up for the Miami game last year that Messi skipped.
There was some concern that Messi would skip out on this year’s game, but that subsided when Miami posted a photo of him boarding the plane yesterday. The confirmation that he would be making the trip sent the excitement level in Vancouver through the roof and caused a similar effect on ticket prices. The cheapest ticket went from about $68 to $195 in less than 24 hours.