Sports leaders are excited for Messi’s upcoming match in Tampa

Did you ever get to see quarterback Tom Brady play with the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium?

Well, next month you can catch another football legend there. Just not the same type of football.

Soccer star Lionel Messi is scheduled to play at the stadium on Valentine’s Day.

Messi’s Major League Soccer club, Inter Miami CF, will take on Orlando City SC for the preseason match.

It will be Messi’s first time playing in Tampa. The 37-year-old is widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time.

Messi’s appearance should bring in a lot of interest to the area, said Christina Unkel, manager of the women’s professional soccer team Tampa Bay Sun FC.

“He is an individual that people are willing to fly to and to drive to, to come watch play,” Unkel said.

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Unkel hopes the event will get more people excited about soccer in the region and raise awareness about the women’s club, which is in its first official season.

Local interest in professional soccer has been strong, she said, pointing to the Sun’s preseason ticket sales as an example.

“Even before schedule was released, it blew my mind, because we had over 1,700 [season ticket sales], and that meant people were passionate about the team and about professional soccer, regardless of when we were playing our games,” Unkel said.

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission had been working to get Messi’s event confirmed in Tampa for more than a year, according to director Rob Higgins.

The commission has been reaching out to youth soccer teams in the area to make sure they know about the opportunity to catch the World Cup winner in action.

“When you look at this match, to have the opportunity to witness a generational icon like this, it allows our local kids to be able to dream,” Higgins said. “Dream of being him one day, dream of being one of the other MLS players one day.”

Higgins said if the event goes well, his team will work on bringing more MLS events to the region.

And like Unkel, Higgins is confident the match will stoke even more regional interest for soccer.

“We’re a firm believer that this really helps the soccer community,” Higgins said. “Each of the franchises was well aware [of the match] before getting the event. They’ve been ultra supportive as part of it. And I think it’s that’s a big part of it, because they know this all-in-all helps our community in a really profound way.”

Tickets are going fast, and it’s not just locals buying them.

About 20% of sales have come from people out of town willing to drive or fly into Tampa to see Messi on the pitch, said Higgins.

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission set up a website — SoccerInTampaBay.com — where fans can get the latest information on the match and buy tickets.