| Vendor | |
|---|---|
|
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Marie Arendt |
| Categories | |
THE MESSI EFFECT
A Global Legend's Last Act and American Soccer's New Beginning
In his first game on US soil as the newest member of the last place MLS squad, Inter Miami, Argentine soccer great Lionel Messi dazzled under the glow of thousands of phones held high to capture the soccer god in person. Among the spectators that July 2023 evening were Serena Williams, LeBron James and Kim Kardashian.
Lionel Messi has collected every notable piece of hardware, for club and for country. Over the last two decades he has transfixed audiences worldwide, elevating the game to artistry, mastery, perfection. So, what is left for the man who is universally regarded as the greatest to ever play the game? Lionel Messi decided to leave the glamour and spectacle of European soccer, forego the millions, er billions, the Saudis offered him to play on their soil, and lace up for the worst team in MLS. It's inconceivable. But then so is everything Lionel Messi does in the game.
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. Some say Messi is taking it easy by playing here, moving his family to a place where he can go to the grocery store without being mobbed. A place where soccer is popular, but it's not yet life-altering for fans, a place where the spotlight is less harsh, and he can enjoy the twilight of his career at a leisurely clip. But those who say that don't know Lionel Messi. Greatness demands greatness and billions of dollars are riding on this gamble. Jorge Mas, owner of Inter Miami, knows it. MLS has inked a groundbreaking deal with Apple to bring American soccer to its full potential in hopes it can, finally, stand alongside the NFL and the NBA. And they have put Messi at the center of their plans, with a contract that gives him skin in the game, much like what Nike brokered with Michael Jordan.
Others have breached America's game: Pele and Beckham, most notably, but this time it is the great Lionel Messi, a transcendent player who can finally realize this country's soccer dreams.
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. He has gained a reputation (and following 54k Twitter/X followers) within the American soccer ecosystem as a reporter who gets inside closed doors. He was the reporter who broke the news about the unprecedented deal that brought Messi to Inter Miami, among many other scoops. 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.
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. Some say Messi is taking it easy by playing here, moving his family to a place where he can go to the grocery store without being mobbed. A place where soccer is popular, but it's not yet life-altering for fans, a place where the spotlight is less harsh, and he can enjoy the twilight of his career at a leisurely clip. But those who say that don't know Lionel Messi. Greatness demands greatness and billions of dollars are riding on this gamble. Jorge Mas, owner of Inter Miami, knows it. MLS has inked a groundbreaking deal with Apple to bring American soccer to its full potential in hopes it can, finally, stand alongside the NFL and the NBA. And they have put Messi at the center of their plans, with a contract that gives him skin in the game, much like what Nike brokered with Michael Jordan.
Others have breached America's game: Pele and Beckham, most notably, but this time it is the great Lionel Messi, a transcendent player who can finally realize this country's soccer dreams.
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. He has gained a reputation (and following 54k Twitter/X followers) within the American soccer ecosystem as a reporter who gets inside closed doors. He was the reporter who broke the news about the unprecedented deal that brought Messi to Inter Miami, among many other scoops. 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.
| Available products |
|---|
|
Book
Published 2026-05-01 by St. Martin's Press |