Lionel Messi, the unique football star and the cover athlete of FIFA 14, has indeed extended his stay with Inter Miami CF for the next three years. The news came out with a tweet that jokingly called him by his 11-year-old video game cover and it has led to a huge amount of memes and confusions online. This fresh new deal means that Messi would keep on being the image of Major League Soccer until 2027, but really, the gaming reference from 2014 had the upper hand in the whole story.
Dexerto’s first tweet stated: “The FIFA 14 cover star Lionel Messi has signed a 3-year extension with Inter Miami.” And the responses… oh my, the responses were just amazing. Right away, players jumped on the weirdly specific and outdated description. One user with the username @leeteracola just responded ““FIFA 14 star” lmaooo” which was almost like saying the whole feeling in one sentence. Another person, @0xSweep, did not get it and went, “what happened to just saying Lionel Messi 😭😭.” This is a good question, isn’t it? Why would one go back more than ten years to refer to arguably the greatest footballer of all time?
It appeared to be a great commentary on the manner in which we present news for clicks and likes. User @xwordz said “the post is more about ‘FIFA 14’ cover rather than Messi or Inter Miami…. endorsement post???” which is absolutely true, it did feel like a strange way to try to connect with the audience by referring to gaming. And it worked because we are indeed talking about it now. But it is also funny. @EvilsReturns claimed “I almost went CR7 > Messi !!! until i saw ’14′” which indicates that the random gaming reference actually hindered people’s first impressions.
On the other hand, there were some real soccer news amidst the FIFA 14 confusion. The fact that Messi is staying in Miami is a huge plus for Major League Soccer. It is really big. @PeakViews12 commented “Messi staying in Miami is huge—three more years of magic in MLS!” and they are right. The star player has already done a lot in terms of increasing the league’s visibility and improving its reputation. Another user, @LukeOlivier3, wrote “Great for Inter Miami, Messi staying boosts their star power and maintains MLS viewership.” This is not just about one player; it is about the whole future of US soccer.
But to be honest, the community did not let the gaming aspect slide that easily. @tomipoint joked “FIFA 14 Messi still dribbling through defenders in 2025 💀,” which is probably true because the man is indeed immortal. @HoudiniSwap commented, “Thought I recognized that guy from somewhere” indicating as if Messi’s main claim to fame was that of a video game cover from a decade ago. And @AceStratski asked “How tf am I supposed to remember who this dude is from 11 years ago???” which is just… amazing.
The whole Ronaldo vs Messi issue even popped up, as it always does. @houseofprofits_ declared, “La Pulga better than CR7 🐐,” while @wasdTaylor countered, “At least Ronaldo plays against some competition.” The never-ending football argument found its way into a conversation that started with a video game reference from the Obama administration. It is insane how these things get connected.
Besides, there were people who were completely bewildered by the way of framing. @ShadeTV_247 said, “Of all the things Messi is known for, FIFA 14 cover star hardly ranks” which is pretty much an understatement. The guy has numerous Ballon d’Or awards, World Cups, Champions League titles, and every possible individual honor… yet, leading with the 2014 video game cover is still the best option. @Birdappuser132 even accused Dexerto of “Running on low interaction nowadays huh” with a crying laughing emoji thus suggesting the whole thing was engagement bait.
What is even more interesting is that it opens the door to the intersection of gaming and real-world sports with this episode. Messi’s FIFA 14 cover appearance has slowly introduced a whole new generation of gamers to who the player was, and he might not have been even a hardcore soccer fan. For many, the gaming world is how they first meet these athletes. @fries4freedom stated in a reply, “lol it ties it in to gaming,” which indeed makes it a connection with a certain audience, albeit it seems ridiculous to others.
The financial factors are also very significant and should not be ignored. @evokeinsol wrote, “Inter miami payroll bout to look like the avengers,” which could actually be true considering the amount of money Messi is paid. He can do everything and, in turn, leads the club to more ticket sales, greater merchandise sales, and even international broadcasting rights. This contract is not only about sports; it is a complete business transformation for the whole franchise.
On the other hand, @jayde_ee had probably the funniest take imagining “mls defenders waking up like ‘not three more years pls’ 💀,” because, really, trying to get Messi off the ball must be a complete nightmare. Sometimes he makes it look like the other professional athletes are very slow.
It is fascinating how a simple tweet can set off a chain of discussion on multiple layers involving sports, gaming culture, media strategies, and pure fun. The fact that so many of us focused on the “FIFA 14” tag instead of the contract news says a lot about the way we consume information in this digital era. We have been trained to grab the weird, the nostalgic, and the unexpected angles.
And guess what? It worked. The entire world is talking about it. The mixture of legitimate soccer analysis and memes of an 11-year-old video game created this perfect storm of engagement. @MovieMediaX referred to it as a “Wild-ass bait of a statement😭. Respectable” and, indeed, fair play. People got hyped.
So what’s next? Messi will stay in Miami for another 3 years. This is good news for both MLS and soccer fans in the US. But we can never forget that the memory of Twitter coming together and deciding that Messi’s only identity was being the FIFA 14 cover guy was part of the whole process. It’s a quirky little slice of internet history now, a moment when gaming nostalgia and real-world sports surprisingly crossed paths. And to be honest, it’s kind of beautiful in its ridiculousness. The man’s legacy is composed of both World Cup glory and being ‘that guy from the FIFA 14 cover’ at the same time. What a time to be alive.
