Lionel Messi makes his Major League Soccer debut in New Jersey
HARRISON, N.J.(PIX11) -- Messi mania has overtaken New Jersey, can you feel it?
The man considered to be the greatest soccer player of all time, Lionel Messi, is at Red Bull Arena, playing for his new team, Inter-Miami against the New York Red Bulls.
It was a sold-out game for more than 25,000 fans filling the arena. It’s a dream come true for so many to see their idol play in person.
For one soccer fan, Michael Galvan turning 11 next week, this was a birthday present for him, along with the number 10 necklace, Messi sneakers, and a jersey, that he is hoping Messi will autograph for him.
“He’s a great inspiration for my son, a great role model,” Danny Galvan, Michael’s dad, told PIX11 News.
One dad from Buenos Aires, now living in Lebanon, NJ has adored Messi his entire career. He never dreamed he’d be able to take his seven-year-old son, Mateo, to see Messi in New Jersey.
“He is such a great athlete and he is a family man,” Leandro Caceres, a Messi fan said.
Nadia Dominguez of Yonkers spent four hours carving Messi’s face on a watermelon.
And what a treat for a grandfather, Gil Prebellu, to take his two 15-year-old grandsons, Salvatore Flynn, and Antonio Magistro, to see the greatest soccer player of all time.
Tickets for him cost $327 plus tax, well worth it, he says, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.