“Taylor Swift Had a Nice Little Tour” – As Lionel Messi Challenges 12X Grammy Winner, ESPN Host Details His Rise in Popularity in US

The arrival of Lionel Messi in the United States has been phenomenal. The Argentinian superstar’s popularity continues to captivate all American fans. It isn’t just an ordinary athlete’s fan following. Rather, it has turned into a Hollywood star kind of base, as he has been challenging a 12-time Grammy winner.

No one thought his popularity would skyrocket at this pace since his arrival at Inter Miami. But now he seems to have become a bigger celebrity in America in comparison to the other Hollywood A-listers. In fact, his popularity was recently detailed by an ESPN journalist.

A famous show host points out the popularity of Lionel Messi in the US

Back in Europe, we heard Messi being compared to other soccer stars like Ronaldo for both sporting and non-sporting reasons. However, here in America, things have sort of changed. Apparently, the World Cup winner is challenging Taylor Swift’s popularity in the United States. This comes after an ESPN journalist discussed the player’s performance in last night’s Leagues Cup fixture.

The journalist started by comparing Swift’s concert tour to Messi getting packed stadiums to watch him. “Listen, Taylor Swift had a nice little tour, right, wow, has she seen what Lionel Messi’s got going around these United States? Scalpers love the guy. Tickets fetching a thousand bucks on the secondary market for last night’s match in Philly, a Leagues Cup semifinal between Inter Miami and the Philadelphia Union,” he said.

His words clearly suggest that Messi’s popularity in the States has overtaken that of Swift. Perhaps it is a threat to the 33-year-old singer’s popularity in her own country. Earlier, Messi had already challenged the popstar’s box office dominance. Nevertheless, it’s quite astounding to hear that the veteran’s popularity is on such a phenomenal rise.

READ MORE: After Ditching Ex-Teammate Lionel Messi, 39-Year-Old Legend Shrugs Off His Potential Move to Middle-East

One shouldn’t be surprised to see such tremendous growth in the soccer star’s popularity. After all, he is captivating fans with his outstanding performances, which have even brought Inter Miami to their first final.

La Pulga leads Inter Miami to a final!

While Messi’s MLS debut is yet to happen, the player readily made his debut for the Herons in the Leagues Cup. Ever since the start of the campaign, the player has been exceptional for David Beckham’s soccer franchise. Be it scoring last-minute freekicks to save his side or maintaining the pace of the game, he is doing everything.

In all six Leagues Cup games, Messi has scored an outstanding nine goals and has an assist to his name. Thanks to his impeccable form, the Florida-based club is in the finals of the tournament. They will be playing in the final against Nashville. Certainly, winning the Leagues Cup final will help Messi win his first piece of silverware in less than two months since his debut.

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