The arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami produced a revolution in soccer in the United States. A few months after winning the World Cup with the Argentine team, the 36-year-old star made the surprising decision to sign for Inter Miami.
Many years ago, the North American country had experienced something similar when receiving Pelé, another sports legend.
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Although a lot of time has passed, football fans in that territory do not forget that historic moment. Owen Wilson, actor famous for several Hollywood films, does not forget when the Brazilian star played in New York, although he believes that Messi"s impact is greater than that of ‘O Rei."
Messi showin’ love to Owen Wilson’s fam. 🥰 pic.twitter.com/IpeP0qad8U
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 4, 2023
"I remember when I was a kid and Pelé played for the [New York] Cosmos, and now I feel the same way about Messi, although maybe he"s even older," Wilson told Fox News Digital.
Pelé"s time in the United States
In 1975, the three-time world champion decided to try a new adventure in the last years of his career to join the New York Cosmos. At that time, the North American Soccer League had less infrastructure and development than the current Major League Soccer, which was founded many years later.
However, the presence of a figure of Pelé"s stature generated a change in the sport. Despite the fact that the public interested in football was smaller and the non-existence of social networks, thousands of fans were interested in seeing the Brazilian.
So it was that the Cosmos went from playing in a modest stadium on the Randalls Islands to Giants Stadium, where the attendance record for a soccer game in the United States was set: 77,691 spectators attended Pelé"s debut, which was also watched by 10 millions of people.
On this date in 1977, Pelé and the New York Cosmos defeat the Seattle Sounders to win their 2nd North American Soccer League championship. I don’t know what this is from, but when I find a clip with John Facenda and Pelé, I’m posting it!
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) August 28, 2023
