‘Lionel Messi is like watching Michael Jordan’: Inter Miami’s new hero leaves FC Dallas owner’s star stricken ahead of League Cup clash

Just hours before his side face Lionel Messi in the League Cup, FC Dallas owner Dan Hunt had nothing but praise for the biggest transfer MLS has ever made.

In just a few games, Messi has seemingly transformed the fortunes of Inter Miami – just through his success in this League Cup competition, which may see the Herons reach the quarter-finals with a win on Sunday night.

Speaking to Bloomberg (via LeaguesCup.com), Hunt compared Messi – arguably the greatest footballer of all time – to the man considered by many to be the greatest to ever touch a basketball court.

Hunt said he couldn’t miss this match for anything in the world – because for him watching ‘La Puglia’ play on the pitch: “It’s like watching Michael Jordan.”

He added: ‘You are looking at one of the two greatest players of all time in this experience. So yes, it’s a great moment for FC Dallas.

Hunt said having the chance to watch Messi in person is ‘like watching Michael Jordan’

Dan, the son of legendary sports executive Lamar Hunt Sr., is trying to convince FIFA to hand over the hosting duties for the 2026 World Cup Finals to AT&T Stadium in the Dallas area.

Hunt is qualified to make that comparison because his family was one of the founding investors in the team Jordan is most associated with: the Chicago Bulls.

Dan and his siblings Clark, Sharron, and Lamar Hunt Jr. are also co-owners of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs in addition to FC Dallas.

They are all descended from Lamar Hunt Sr. – one of the most influential sports executives in American history. He founded the American Football League, which would eventually merge with the NFL.

Lamar Sr. was also one of the founding investors in Major League Soccer after spending years championing the growth of the sport in the United States. The US Open Cup was renamed in his honor – taking his name for both the competition and the trophy itself.

The Hunt siblings carry on their father’s legacy in the sport – having won the Open Cup in 2016 and reached the final of that competition as well as the MLS Cup since the death of Lamar Sr. in 2006.

These days, the Hunt family is trying to lure the 2026 World Cup Finals to Dallas – which would be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Hunt spoke about the bid in the same Bloomberg interview – citing a major international airport and the possibility of hosting the match at a next-gen stadium.

With all 16 host cities in the United States at stake, Dallas’ biggest competition for final hosting duties is believed to be against MetLife Stadium in the New York area and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.