Thousands of fans 'honored' to watch Messi play in draw between Earthquakes and Inter Miami
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Thousands of fans packed PayPal Park Thursday night to watch the San Jose Earthquakes play soccer icon Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team.
The Earthquakes managed a thrilling 3-3 draw against Inter Miami in a game filled with action.
It was a sellout crowd at the 18,000-seat stadium, with fans from the Bay Area and from out.
"I feel like it's a dream come true, you know, I've played soccer my whole life, so Messi is obviously the biggest player, so it's a dream to watch him play," one fan said.
The Argentine soccer player is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.
"I've been all over the world, I play soccer myself, so to get to experience this is truly special in my hometown," Santa Clara resident Samia Adam said.
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Before the match, fans of all ages were lined up outside for hours.
"I'll probably start crying or something, it's going to be crazy," a fan said.
"There's too many emotions, mostly excited, it's an honor to be able to see Messi play in my hometown," another fan said.
One of the first fans in the gates was 'Krazy George,' famous for starting the wave.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber noted the impact one man can have.
"I've been in the sports industry for over 40 years, and it's been the iconic athletes, the Michael Jordans and the Wayne Gretzky that sort of have this almost have this legacy-like relationship with their fans and the industry and their impact goes way beyond sports," Garber said.
Local and international Messi fans clamoring to see icon in San Jose
All week, fans had been trying to get a glimpse of the soccer icon at his San Jose hotel.
Monday evening, many of those fans got that opportunity when Messi stepped out on a balcony.
Ramon Quevedo from San Jose captured video of the moment, he said he grew up watching Messi and waited hours until Messi finally showed up.
"I was like, 'No way', finally, my dream came true to see Messi," Quevedo said. "This is something that I've been wanting to happen for years, and it finally happened."
Quevedo came back again Wednesday morning, hoping to get an autograph.
But it wasn't just locals who had been camping outside the hotel hoping to get a sight of Messi. One family from Michoacan, Mexico, came to San Jose just to see the soccer match and get a glimpse of the superstar athlete.
Rafael Sosa carried a sign for Messi that said in Spanish that he traveled 3,000 kilometers to see him and asked for a photo or jersey in return.
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Some of the most stunning visuals seen outside the hotel were paintings by local artist Leysar Garcia.
"I want to give this to him and I want him to sign this one," Garcia said, pointing to two paintings of Messi, just the thought of Messi seeing his art brought emotion, "It's gonna make me feel proud of myself."
As proud as the locals are to call San Jose home, their loyalties for Wednesday's match were with their idol, not their city.
When asked who he was rooting for in Wednesday's match, Quevedo's response was quick: "I'm going for Inter Miami!"
The match came after a block party celebrating the game that featured Steve Aoki, the event was expected to draw in 15,000 people to Downtown San Jose.
