How much would you pay to be a part of history? To witness one of the greatest of all time do what they do best live and in person? A few hundred perhaps? At the most? How about $56,000 for a single game of soccer?
Because that's what tickets for Lionel Messi's upcoming Inter Miami debut are currently commanding online.
The Argentine superstar recently signed for David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise to a gargantuan amount of fanfare and coverage, with thousands of fans turning out for 'The Unveil' at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday (July 16).
And this weekend, Inter have confirmed that the World Cup winning icon will make his debut in a Leagues Cup game against Mexican outfit Cruz Azul.
The cup is a traditional, annual tournament contested between teams from MLS and teams from Mexico's LIGA MX. In an interview with the official Leagues Cup website, Messi said: "I'm very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States.
"This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project. The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I'm very eager to start helping here in my new home."
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner will make his official MLS bow on August 20 against Charlotte FC and, while tickets for that game are already skyrocketing, they cannot compete with the prices being demanded for the Cruz Azul fixture.
A ticket on row one of section 112, located near the goal, is currently listed at $56,901 with ticket retailer Vivid Seats. The starting price on the same site is currently $260. On Ticketmaster, meanwhile, the highest-priced ticket stands at $10,000.
For Messi's MLS debut against Charlotte, tickets range between $220 and $9,356 on Vivid Seats. Just to bring some sort of perspective to these prices, Charlotte's upcoming game against FC Dallas on July 21 has tickets priced between $27 and $188 on the same site.
Unsurprisingly, Messi's arrival has drawn thousands of extra fans towards Inter Miami, who have long been linked with the three-time UEFA Champions League winner, ever since David Beckham formed the club in 2018.
In addition to Messi's arrival, Miami also unveiled the Argentine's former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets, one of the finest midfielders of his generation and a Champions League and World Cup winner himself. The 35-year-old Spaniard arrives in Florida from Barcelona, where he has spent his entire career.
Messi's deal with Inter gives him a part ownership stake once he retires, according to the New York Times. The usual MLS salary rules do not apply to his contract and his signing allowed Inter to sign a deal with Apple to stream their games, with Messi sharing the revenue.
Before Messi signed for them, Inter Miami was valued at $600 million, according to Forbes, making them the 11th most valuable franchise in MLS. The 36-year-old's arrival is expected to see them shoot up that list in the very near future, potentially overhauling current chart toppers Los Angeles FC, who are valued at $1bn.