BARRIO – Messi madness is headed to New York!

On August 26, Inter Miami will face off against the New York Red Bulls in Harrison, New Jersey. If you’ve been trying to get a ticket to the game, you may have already noticed The Messi Effect. 

As of August 18, tickets for the match start at $496 and continue up to $10,000. The surge in the prices “underscores the appeal of Messi,” Bloomberg reports. Single tickets to see his appearance in the N.Y. area are currently higher than in his new home state of Florida, where they range from $172 to $2,000 to see a home game against Nashville SC on August 30.

The 36-year-old Argentinian player lead his national team to a World Cup victory last year. He also won the FIFA prize for the seventh time in 14 years this past March, beating former teammate Kylian Mbappe of PSG and Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema. Dan Hunt, co-owner of the FC Dallas team, reportedly believes Messi’s “spillover effect” of moving to America from Europe will spread across Major League Soccer, helping to lift club valuations and draw in talent. 

The soccer champ faced off against FC Dallas rivals in a match earlier this month that sold out in 10 minutes. Red Bulls fans are already bracing themselves for the arrival of Messi fans. A fan of the N.Y. team posted to X on Thursday, warning that “no Messi jerseys” will be allowed in the South Ward. The standing-only section behind the goal is reserved for fans of the team, who will no doubt protect their turf on game day.

The match kicks off next Saturday at the Red Bull Area in Harrison, New Jersey.