Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami Surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr As ‘Largest Crowd Ever’ Set To Watch Inter Miami in Kansas City

Up next for Inter Miami is an away match against Sporting Kansas City. However, there is a twist in the tale as the venue is not Children’s Mercy Park but Arrowhead Stadium. The stadium has a capacity of nearly 76000 compared to the usual 18000 at Mercy Park! Hence, the atmosphere is set to be a daunting experience for Lionel Messi & Co.

Also, it’s unlikely you will find a spare seat for tomorrow’s match, as an attendance of more than 70000 is expected! The ticket prices got tripled but that didn’t stop them from getting sold out within 15 minutes. This is also the largest crowd ever expected to watch a game of soccer in the state of Missouri. To grasp the enormity of the number, let us look at the crowd turnout in the other league on the rise, the Saudi Pro League.

Comparing the attendance levels of MLS and SPL following the arrivals of Lionel Messi and Ronaldo

The expected attendance for tomorrow is truly incredible when compared to the viewership seen in some of the Saudi Pro League matches. Despite having superstar names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar, the average attendance for a Saudi League game is 8399. Shockingly, it has even stooped as low as 133!

Also, it is worth noting that CR7’s Al Nassr is eclipsed by Al Hilal in average attendance figures (26,842 vs 20,297). This is without even featuring the injured Neymar. Moreover, the Saudi Pro League spent over $1 Billion in the last transfer window to attract elite talents. The owners of the SPL clubs made a sizeable investment to entertain the soccer fanatics in the country. However, it doesn’t seem to have the desired effect. In fact, Al Nassr’s game against Al Riyadh recently had an attendance of only 17047 people in the stands!

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The story was the same in Al Nassr’s defeat against Al Raid in March (17,409). Strikingly, in Al Nassr’s rampant 8-0 victory against Abha, the attendance was a shocking 12079! Also, Al Nassr’s 5-2 victory against Al Ittihad saw just 20,332 turning up to the stadium. Shocking considering that the likes of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo played in the encounter. Hence, it seems the Saudi Pro League needs to come up with new ideas if they want to avoid the downward spiral in attendees.

On the contrary, the attendance levels of MLS have seen a steady increase since the arrival of Lionel Messi. In fact, the playmaker has been credited for improving the league’s visibility worldwide. Even at away grounds, crowds are queuing up to watch the Argentine playmaker in action. For instance, last season, the matches against Atlanta United and Charlotte FC saw turnouts of 71,635 and 66, 101 respectively. To date, this is the biggest attendance ever in a Miami game and incidentally came just a few months after Lionel Messi’s arrival.

Do you feel the Lionel Messi factor is giving MLS the edge over the Saudi League in attracting the crowd? Let us know below.