All week, fans have camped out at Santana Row in San Jose, where the team is staying.
"He's the soccer pope. In the balcony just saying hi to all the fans below him was something incredible to see," said Favian Renkel. "This is a big deal. This is a guy who never comes to the Bay Area. He hasn't been here in 10 years almost."
Soccer superstar Lionel Messi seen at Santana Row in San Jose ahead of a matchup between Inter Miami and the San Jose Earthquakes, May 13, 2025. CBS"I mean, if you look at Tom Brady's following, you look at LeBron James, Steph Curry, Ohtani's - really, if you put them all together, they're still not going to touch Lionel Messi's following," he told CBS News Bay Area
"Oh yeah, we're skipping psychics class to be here right now. Hopefully my teacher understands," said Arjun, a student who did not give his last name.
Wednesday's highly-anticipated soccer match at PayPal Park is a sign of things to come in San Jose, according to Mayor Matt Mahan.
"Downtown San Jose should be known as a destination, as Silicon Valley's urban center. A place where we can provide more housing, more jobs, more entertainment, more things to do," Mahan told CBS News Bay Area. "And it's great to see our city's on that path with this opportunity. To host one of the world's greatest legends of all time is an incredible honor and opportunity."
The match between Inter Miami and San Jose is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Pacific. Earthquakes officials said single game tickets are sold out as of Monday. Meanwhile, limited season tickets that include Wednesday's match were still available.
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