MLS 2024 Returns to the Rhythm of Leo Messi. The Argentine's warm-up playlist premiered exclusively on Apple Music. It ranks among the platform's top 40 most listened to. La Pulga changes the perception of the MLS. Xherdan Shaqiri and other soccer figures tell EFE how they experience the impact of number 10 from within.

"Music calms my mind, helps me stay calm and relaxed," Messi assures in his playlist. Latin pop, reggae, rock, and Argentine cumbia are his favorite genres. From AC/DC to Coldplay, through Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Maluma, or Rosalía, the Argentine shared the 60 songs that marked the most important moments of his career on the occasion of the start of the MLS.

This playlist is part of a series of Apple TV projects, the owner of MLS rights with a ten-year contract in force since 2023, to take advantage of Messi's enormous impact. After the docuseries 'Messi meets America,' prepared for the Argentine's arrival in soccer, Apple launched a new special content last Wednesday, 'Messi's World Cup: The Rise of a Legend,' to celebrate his World Cup win in Qatar.

Inter Miami debuted on Wednesday in the new MLS season with a 2-0 victory against Real Salt Lake. Messi started alongside Uruguayan Luis Suárez. His presence attracts new sponsors almost weekly. JP Morgan Chase bank has just signed an agreement to name the club's stadium. Messi's documentaries are a hit on Apple TV, and MLS popularity soars.

A Change in Perception

The global perception of the MLS changed after Messi's arrival. This is reflected in Apple TV data and confirmed to EFE by international league stars like Swiss Xherdan Shaqiri, among others.

"We all saw how big Messi's arrival to the league was. Around the world, we saw that people follow MLS much more. And I also see more and more South American players wanting to come to this football before making the leap to Europe," Shaqiri told EFE, a European champion with Liverpool and now a designated player for the Chicago Fire.

The Swiss, who also played for Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in his European career, admitted that several footballer friends contact him to inquire about the US league.

One of the Latinos who followed the path from the Argentine league to the American one was Fede Navarro, a midfielder trained in Talleres Córdoba who arrived in the MLS with the Fire. In conversation with EFE, the Argentine said that "where Leo arrives, everything is revolutionized," and that the presence of the World Cup champion in the United States league "benefits us all."