Lionel Messi fans say seeing idol at Gillette Stadium provided lifelong memories
FOXBORO – The New England Revolution lost handily Saturday night against Inter Miami CF. But the record crowd at Gillette Stadium got their money's worth as they came to see Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players in the world.
There were 65,612 fans in attendance in Foxboro, setting a single-match record for soccer at the venue.
"Ninety-nine percent of the people here are here to see one man," one fan told WBZ-TV. "That's Messi."
Miami cruised to a 4-1 win, thanks to two goals and two assists from Messi.
Fans flock to see Messi
Jacob Santiago came from New Hampshire to watch Messi play.
"This moment right now, we will be talking about this for the rest of our lives. It's our idol, watching him play on this field that we're seeing in person," Santiago said.
Mike Cucinotta is a Revolution season ticket holder. And one reason he signed up for the tickets was because he saw Messi was on the schedule this year.
"It's a huge deal. He's just the greatest to ever do it. They don't come here very often. We just knew he was coming, we knew it was such a big deal and we love to see someone who's the greatest," he said.
Festive atmosphere at Gillette Stadium
Despite the lopsided score, the atmosphere was electric throughout, with chants of "Messi! Messi!" popping up around the stadium.
After Saturday's defeat, the Revolution dropped to 1-7-1 on the season.