Lionel 'Messi Mania' hits Bay Area ahead of anticipated match against San Jose Earthquakes
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Fans flocked to Santana Row just to catch a glimpse of the greatest athlete and soccer player in the world, Lionel Messi.
The hype and excitement could be felt throughout San Jose.
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"I guess we're waiting for another Leo to come from the balcony to greet us," Hugo Vera said. "Really, second only to the Pope, he is the second most famous man in the world right now."
It's not the pope in Santana Row. It's the GOAT, Lionel Messi.
Everyone tried to get their eyes on the international superstar, even to just catch a wave like crowds did Monday evening outside Hotel Valencia
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"I want to see Messi, I want him to sign my jersey," Mateo Pineo said. "It has been my all-time dream to see him in public."
"Yeah (I skipped school), but it's more important than school because school is forever and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - or maybe two," Jaandeo Lopez said. "So, I'd rather just take the chance."
Fans lined the streets as buses arrived to pick up Inter Miami CF to take them to training.
ABC7 News was there for hours as crowds grew bigger, bigger and bigger, anxiously anticipating the team's departure.
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Messi and his team will be playing the San Jose Earthquakes in a must-see matchup at PayPal Park Wednesday night.
"The tickets are a bit expensive, but I'm thinking about it," Osmar Gonzalez said. "But I know he's here, so I might have to spend it because it's a once-in-a lifetime thing."
ABC7 was told that people are waiting at Santana Row until midnight just to catch a glimpse of the great one, and that works up quite an appetite.
Restaurants nearby said that Messi is boosting the South Bay economy.
"I didn't know he was going to be here until I saw people with his shirts," Taqueria Parranga manager Jose Perez said. "I wanted to go see him, too, but we've been so busy. It's great to have him."
The San Jose Earthquakes hosted a block party featuring a live musical performance by global superstar Steve Aoki Tuesday in Downtown San Jose's SoFA District.
The Block Party is part of the festivities that week leading up to the following night, when the Earthquakes take on Inter Miami CF at PayPal Park in one of the most anticipated matchups in Bay Area soccer history.
Everyone was talking about Messi, even the men who will play him - the Quakes.
"It will be a very special moment for all of us," San Jose Earthquakes Winger, and Argentinian native Cristian Espinoza said. "To have the best player in history, it will be very special for us and hopefully we can have a good game."
Until the game, crowds will surely continue to show up in Santana Row. Because, just as he's a once-in-a generation player, seeing him in San Jose may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
