SAN JOSE — Lionel Messi isn’t just a soccer player – he’s a global phenomenon.
Fans come from all over the world to see him play wherever he suits up. He is, after all, perhaps the best the game has ever seen.
Messi, a member of MLS club Inter Miami, came to San Jose on Wednesday for a match against the San Jose Earthquakes, gracing the South Bay with his presence for the first time since his appearance with Argentina in the 2016 Copa America Centenario.
And thousands of fans came to PayPal Park right along with him. Messi’s appeal was such that the west concourse backed up with fans waiting to catch a glimpse of the Argentine megastar.
They threw tailgate parties while flooding the parking lots and plazas surrounding the stadium with pink flamingo jerseys hours before kickoff. Mariachi bands went station to station to entertain the robust and vibrant tailgate crowd.
A few fans took things to the next level, sporting full head-to-toe pink Messi garb, complete with soccer cleats. They were ready to pay tribute to a sporting icon.
“Really, I just wanted to see Messi in person,” said Jaxon Strehle, 10, of San Rafael, who was outfitted with a complete Messi kit for the occasion. “See Miami play against the Earthquakes. I know I’m from around California, but I still like Messi too much. So I’m cheering for Miami in this game.”
Divided loyalties were a common theme. Despite a majority of fans wearing Miami gear, the Quakes were well spoken for as well.
Angela De La Torre and Alex Santana are San Jose season-ticket holders, yet Santana walked in with a Messi jersey on. Some things just can’t be helped when a certain player comes to town.
“I started becoming a fan of his the moment I started playing soccer,” Santana said. “I started back in 2011, and my first-ever expensive pair of boots was the Messi shoes. And I’m also a left-footed player, so he’s someone to look up to.”
An idol for many, a role model for others – and one who isn’t guaranteed to be around forever. Messi, 37, is in the final stage of his brilliant career, and those who traveled to San Jose were well aware his remaining time in professional soccer is short.
“He might be retiring, so you’ve got to see him before he doesn’t play anymore,” Krissy Strehle, Jaxon’s mom, said.
She wasn’t the only one who had that on her mind.
“I feel like he’s gonna retire soon,” Santana said. “Everybody wants to get to see him before he hangs them up. That’s what’s dragging a lot of people out here. Everybody knows what he’s done to the world of football, how important he’s been. That’s the reason all these people are out here.”
There was a regular-season MLS game played as well, but that seemed to be essentially a subplot. Messi was the main event.
Santana and De La Torre are used to a typical Earthquakes atmosphere, along with – it must be said – a bit more ease in getting to, from, and around the stadium. There was nothing typical about attending Wednesday’s game.
“Nothing like it,” said De La Torre, one of the outnumbered fans wearing a Quakes jersey. “Too many people. Long lines. But it’s really nice. The energy’s here, the vibes are here. It’s fun.”
Is this Messi’s final farewell in the Bay Area? Quite possibly, at least as a player. And a full sellout crowd of 18,000 made sure they were there to see it.
“I just love how he plays, how he’s a nice person,” Jaxon Strehle said. “I look up to him as a hero, pretty much.”
“Wow,” Krissy Strehle responded.
There was plenty of wow factor to go around on Wednesday. That’s just what you get when Messi mania comes to town.
