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Kids leaving right after the school bell. Adults taking off work. Celebrities going out of their way to make it to PayPal Park before 4 p.m. on a busy Wednesday afternoon, because if you didn’t — well, you were going to miss him.
Pope Leo, that is. No, not the guy from Chicago. But Lionel Messi, the soccer icon, now of Inter Miami, who is very much treated like the messiah everywhere he goes.
On Wednesday, the World Cup champion, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, and face of Inter Miami played his first (and likely last) competitive match in the Bay Area against the San Jose Earthquakes, drawing 3-3.
A month shy of his 38th birthday, Messi isn’t the same player who scored 91 goals in a calendar year in 2012 or 60 goals in 50 La Liga games the following season.
Still, there is magic inside the global sensation who managed to win the Major League Soccer MVP last year despite missing nearly half the season. The 5-foot-7 playmaker was cheered loudly by the home crowd every time he touched the ball. As Wednesday’s game progressed, chants of “MESSI, MESSI, MESSI” bellowed throughout PayPal Park, shaking the ground, and making it feel like a home game for the visitors.
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The stadium, which is normally half to two-thirds full for most of the MLS season, was completely sold out. Temporary suites were erected on the scoreboard terrace to accommodate more VIPs. Meanwhile, the property’s gates and fences were covered with black tarp to prevent prying eyes from catching a free glimpse of the main attraction.
Still, they tried, including hundreds who stood outside Messi’s hotel at Santana Row for two days in a row, beckoning for him to emerge to his balcony. He eventually did, making a brief appearance to wave down upon the masses, just as the real pope would.
Among those hopefuls were Sal and Viviana Ortiz of San Mateo, European soccer fans who had never been to an MLS game before. After seeing that the Argentinian superstar had indeed traveled to the Bay Area, they decided to play hooky for a day, purchase a pair of Messi jerseys together, and spend $1,200 each to buy tickets on the secondary market.
“We just figured we’re never going to get to see him in-person play ever again,” Sal said.
The last time the Quakes hosted a player of this stature was 50 years ago, when the late Brazilian legend Pelé visited Spartan Stadium with the New York Cosmos. (Manchester United great George Best had a brief stint in San Jose in 1980, but that tenure was marred by his debilitating alcoholism.)
Even MLS Commissioner Don Garber joined the festivities, despite not visiting the team for years. The Standard learned that a day before the match, Garber dined with Earthquakes (and A’s) owner John Fisher and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan at Eos & Nyx in downtown San Jose before attending the free Steve Aoki concert the team organized to promote the Messi game.
“It’s a historic night for soccer in the Bay Area, and certainly for the Quakes,” Garber said. “This is a team with a lot of momentum and energy behind it, and they have earned a Miami away game. The excitement we’ve seen in this market has proven it was a good scheduling decision.”
Good, maybe, for the hosts, who had won three straight games. But Inter Miami came in having lost four of their last five games, including a 4-1 drubbing Saturday on the road to Minnesota United.
If fans think this might be the Last Dance for Stephen Curry and the Warriors this year, then consider Messi, flanked by his favorite teammates Luis Suarez (38), Jordi Alba (36), and Sergio Busquets (36), as being on a pseudo-FC Barcelona farewell tour, but in Victoria Secret pink.
His playing style has hardly changed. Even in his prime, Messi preferred to walk around the pitch, letting his teammates and opponents do the running around him. But don’t let his languid demeanor fool you. La Pulga is the master of subtle positional adjustments that make his left-footed dribble virtually unstoppable the moment he decides to accelerate.
In the 93rd minute, the 18,000 fans in the stands chanted loudly for their messiah to produce one last moment of magic to cap off the historic night. He tried twice, but each shot was blocked at the last moment. Finally, he tried to draw a foul just outside the box to set up a game-winning free kick, but his plight was ignored by the referees.
After the final whistle blew, Messi, incensed, went up to the officials and scolded them, earning a yellow card. The match was over, but no one got up to leave, their eyes still fixated on what No. 10 was going to do next.
Quakes coach Bruce Arena tried to pull Messi away from the fray. “I wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to get a red card,” Arena said. “That would have been ridiculous. I just wanted him to get out of there so he’s ready to play the next game.”
At 73, Arena can appreciate the importance of keeping transcendent stars on the field for as long as possible. Nearly two decades ago, he was brought in to salvage the David Beckham project in Los Angeles, and led the Galaxy to three championships.
“Obviously, our franchise hasn’t been at its best over the last couple of years,” Arena said. “But I think getting more people at the game tonight, maybe people for the first time because Messi is here, is helpful. Because maybe they come and recognize that the game is entertaining, that it’s good to see, and that San Jose is getting better. So maybe they’ll come back and support us.”
When both sides finally retreated to their locker rooms, Quakes captain Cristian Espinoza, who is also from Argentina, ended up being the lucky player to trade shirts with Messi. The two last played and spoke to each other a decade ago in Spain. Both have found a new lease on life here in the U.S.
“Messi just has that aura around him,” Espinoza said. “We are talking about the best player ever.”