The Messi Effect: How the Global Legend Changed the Future of American Soccer

In The Messi Effect, Paul Tenorio, national soccer writer for The Athletic, draws on coveted insider access to bring readers behind the ropes and into the inner sanctum and chronicle the last act of Lionel Messi.

The Messi Effect takes you inside the locker room and behind the scenes as Messi's arrival turned a last-place team into a global phenomenon. From his cinematic debut goal to his first trophy with Miami and across two more transformative seasons, Messi's impact was immediate and enormous. His pink No. 10 shirt became the world's best-selling jersey, MLS stadiums sold out in city after city, and Inter Miami's valuation soared past $1 billion.

This is a book about one man's legacy in a rapidly growing and changing game. It's a story about the business of sport and how, always, that rides on the back of a player who must be both athlete and economic engine. It's the story of celebrity on a global scale. And it's the story of how a GOAT rides off into the sunset, the choices he makes, and the after effects of his greatness for future generations

No one is better situated or suited to tell this story than Paul Tenorio. Paul has spent more than a decade breaking news and providing critical insight into the power and politics of the sport. For this book, he will lean on his numerous high-ranking sources inside Inter Miami, American soccer, and overseas and will bring to this narrative context, insight and breaking news.