Messi’s Arrival Makes Impact On Sports Betting

Messi is at 4.75 to win the league goal-scoring title at BetMGM Sportsbook

Messi is at 2.50 to win league MVP at NorthStar Bets

The amazing thing to watch with the arrival of Lionel Messi from a sports betting perspective has been the influx of futures betting on Inter Miami to win the MLS Championship.

Miami Looks To Move Up With Messi

Remember, Miami sits last in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 5-14-3, one point behind the 14th place Toronto FC, and 12 points out of the MLS’ wild-card round. (The winner of that game moves on to the playoffs.)

But the Leagues Cup final was on Saturday and there was Miami in the final against Nashville, Messi scoring again, leading Miami to a win over Nashville SC on penalties.

That’s the immediate impact Messi has had. The MLS regular season got going full force on Sunday, with the Miami-Charlotte game (which would have been Messi’s first action in MLS) postponed.

Miami is scheduled to play a U.S. Open Cup game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET against Cincinnati, then host New York Aug. 26 in an MLS regular season match.

Messi’s impact on Miami and the league in general has been palpable. He has scored goals in each of his first seven games, 10 in total. Messi has been making it look easy.

Proline reports that the top two wagered games since July 15 involving MLS have been Dallas versus Inter Miami on Aug. 6 and Philadelphia versus Miami on Aug. 15. And more notably, Miami has taken 75% of a recent futures bets to win the MLS championship.

Betting Odds

Around the horn, the line movement at BetMGM Sportsbook for Miami as league winner, including playoffs, has showed the Messi effect: 34.00 before Messi’s first game, 26.00 before his second game, 13.00 before his third game, and 8.00 after his sixth game.

Highest ticket percentage is Inter Miami at 37.9 per cent, highest handle is Miami 50.8 per cent. 

FC Cincinnati still has the shortest odds to win the MLS title at 5.00,  followed by Los Angeles FC, at 7.00.

Messi is also dominating individual betting. NorthStar Bets has Messi with the shortest odds to win league MVP at 2.50 and has him at 6.00  to win top goalscorer 2023, after Hany Mukhtar (4.50) and Denis Bouanga (5.50).

Mukhtar leads the league with 13 goals in 24 games with Nashville, while Bouanga has 12 goals in 21 games with Los Angeles.

BetMGM also has the MLS goal-scoring title at Mukhtar (4.00), Bouanga (4.50), then Messi (4.75).

But looking at Messi’s goal-scoring pace over those first six Leagues Cup games, who’s going to bet against him?