The timing of international superstar Lionel Messi joining MLS with Inter-Miami brings an added buzz to Saturday night’s clash (7:30) with the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium.

Messi, 35, helped guide Argentina to the 2022 World Cup championship last December and has been recognized as the sport’s best player for over a decade. Messi had multiple and more lucrative options from across from the globe to consider while his days with Paris St. Germain are set to expire on June 30.

According to published reports, Messi’s contract with Inter Miami includes a $30 million signing bonus and a share of the profits generated from image rights and jersey sales that could boost his annual salary to $78 million.

“Obviously it’s always a big moment for the league, for Inter Miami,” said Revolution midfielder Carles Gil following Thursday morning’s practice. “I think everybody is happy.

“It will be very good for the league to continue to be a better league and obviously with the best player of all time, it will be even easier.”

The Revolution are fortunate they don’t have to game plan against the kind of pressure Messi can put on an opponent’s back line and goalkeeper from the forward position. But having Messi make his MLS debut in Foxboro would have brought the eyes of the world on Gillette Stadium for a spring event that didn’t involve Taylor Swift.

British superstar David Beckham, who made an international splash when he left Real Madrid to join MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, is a part owner of Inter Miami.

Yet Messi’s arrival is the second stage of an Argentinian makeover at Inter Miami. The club parted ways with head coach Phil Neville and named Javier Morales interim manager on June 1.

Morales is from Buenos Aries and he played for four different clubs in the Argentina Primera Division. Like Messi and Gil, Morales also competed in Spain before joining MLS with Real Salt Lake in 2007.