Many Montreal soccer fans are eagerly anticipating this Saturday evening when Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, will step onto the field at Saputo Stadium to take on CF Montreal.
“I am super excited about Messi coming to town. I’ve been a fan forever,” said Juan Molina, a Messi fan from Longueuil. “I think it’s going to be an experience of a lifetime to tell you the truth. I think having Messi in Montreal is like having the Pope in Montreal for sure.”
Messi, playing for Inter Miami, will be here for the first time. It’s a rare occasion for soccer fans in Montreal to see an international soccer player of this caliber in the city.
“People that are fortunate enough to go are very excited. This is not something that happens every day. And it’s probably something that might happen once in a lifetime for most of us,” said Carmelo Sansalone, a co-owner of Evangelista Sports store in Little Italy.
Few players have accomplished what Messi has. He has won the Ballon d’or a record eight times including last year. This award recognizes the best soccer player in the world.
Messi’s biggest achievement is probably winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with his country Argentina. However, much of his career was defined while playing for Barcelona where he helped the team win 10 La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League four times.
“It’s probably the best player ever coming in Montreal. Still, while he’s one of the best players ever.” added Sansalone.
“Every touch he takes is just it’s always for reasoning. It’s always going to either beat a player or it’s to go somewhere. And his shooting, no goalie can stop it. So he’s really a top top player,” said Andy Brosseau, a 17-year-old Montrealer playing professional soccer in Portugal.
Tickets are still available for Saturday’s game. On the CF Montreal website, they range in price from $375 to $10,206.
“1,000, even 500 is too much.” said Gino Dini, a Lionel Messi fan and owner of Café Conca d’Oro in Little Italy.
“I think it’s normal that the price is that high because, I mean, everyone wants to see Messi. And the stadium is not that big. So if you want to take it, you have to pay the price,” said Édouard Laliberté, a Lionel Messi fan and Montrealer.
Saturday’s game starts at 7:30pm. All eyes will be on Messi, and perhaps it’s one of the few occasions when CF Montreal fans wouldn’t be all that upset to see an opponent score or set up a nice goal.
“He’s so great. He’s the goat. He’s the greatest of all time,” added Molina.