Chris Sutton believes that Lionel Messi will not have the long-lasting impact on Major League Soccer that the league desires.
The World Cup winner made his highly-anticipated MLS debut Saturday night in front of a record crowd in New Jersey as his Inter Miami beat the New York Red Bulls 2-0.
A record crowd filled Red Bull Arena, with some tickets being flogged for as much as $20,000, and the 36-year-old rewarded them with a bit of Messi magic, coming off the bench to score in the 89th minute.
Messi has taken soccer Stateside by storm, already bagging 11 goals in nine games across MLS, the Leagues Cup and US Open Cup.
But, when asked if the Argentine is going to give MLS long-term credibility, Mail Sport columnist and former Premier League striker Sutton claimed on our new podcast It's All Kicking Off that once Messi leaves, it will return to a league for 'washed up players.'
'I think the MLS would like to think so, but I don't think it will long term,' Sutton told Mail Sport's It's All Kicking Off podcast.
'Short term, they'll have the Messi phase. And then when he's had enough, it will go back to what it was before. It's a league for, dare I say, washed up players. For European players who want to go to America for the lifestyle with the families at the end of their career.
'He's washed up for him, isn't he? He's still good, but you know, he's washed up. Just as Ronaldo is washed up going to the Saudi Pro League. They're not the players which they once were, because they wouldn't go there.
'He's coming to the end of his career. He's not the player which he once was, because if he had serious ambition, he would have gone back to Barcelona. I mean, Inter Miami, it's great. Go over there and take the accolade and raise the profile for a bit. And he's still a great player and he's going to attract the crowds.'
Messi turned down a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in favor of joining David Beckham's MLS club.
He is believed to have been offered a $60million-a-year contract by Inter Miami that includes new deals with adidas and Apple.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner will bank money from adidas shirt sales and Apple MLS subscriptions, while the deal is also said to include an option that could see him become a part-owner of the club.
Mail Sport's football editor Ian Ladyman claimed that MLS will always rely on players from the European leagues crossing the Atlantic, due to soccer's inability to compete with football, basketball and baseball in the United States.
'It's a minority sport and therefore it will always need an influx of name European players or players from European leagues to bring it its start,' he said. 'I just don't think that it will ever massively go on from there.'
Messi has racked up the minutes since his Miami move, spearheading the team's fairytale run through the Leagues Cup, ultimately lifting its first trophy, and leading it to the US Open Cup final on September 27.
The Argentine has played nine matches, amassing more than 700 minutes of game time.
Messi and Miami are back in action Wednesday as they host Nashville in the league at DRV PNK Stadium.