Lionel Messi will be officially introduced by MLS club Inter Miami on Sunday, 48 years after another soccer sensation, Pelé, made his domestic debut for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League in 1975.
Just as the buildup to Messi’s arrival has coincided with skyrocketing follower counts and ticket demand, the early stateside days of Pelé, the dazzling Brazilian forward who died at 82 in December, were transformative, accompanied by a mix of skepticism, hope and thrill.
“It was just a seismic upheaval in the American sports landscape when Pelé arrived,” said David Hirshey, a contributing editor at Esquire who formerly covered the Cosmos for the New York Daily News.