Apple TV+’s docuseries ‘Messi Meets America’ captures a GOAT taking his talents to South Beach

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s only in Northeast Ohio where the greater player in a sport taking his talents to South Beach is met with consternation.

While that reaction is fair, well, more than a decade has passed and history repeated itself this summer when soccer giant Lionel Messi surprised the world by signing with Inter Miami Football Club.

There to document the entire experience in real-time was 12-time Sports Emmy Award winner Scott Boggins (Peacock’s “Untitled: The Noah Lyles Project” and Showtime’s “The Circus”).

The entertaining result is “Messi Meets America,” which debuted three episodes in October on Apple TV+ and captured the MLS team’s storybook run this past summer winning the MLS Leagues Cup.

While Inter Miami has been eliminated from the MLS playoffs, mainly due to a Messi injury, the fourth episode of the six-part docuseries begins streaming Nov. 1.

We recently caught up with “Messi Meets America” showrunner Boggins to discuss soccer’s GOAT, Inter Miami’s amazing run and the future of the series.

Hello, Scott. Congrats on “Messi Meets America.” What was it like to witness the Messi effect?

It’s been quite a whirlwind. There were two dominant stories this summer, Lionel Messi and Taylor Swift. It’s been a whole lot of fun to be a part of documenting history here and what Lionel Messi — the impact and the attraction — had not only on Inter Miami but on soccer in this country. It’s just been extraordinary to capture these wonderful moments that are in this series.

Six-part docuseries “Messi Meets America” is streaming on Apple TV+. (Courtesy of Apple TV+)Courtesy of Apple TV+

What’s surreal is the quick turnaround of the docuseries, which began in July with Messi’s announcement.

I was on assignment in another part of the world when I got the notification on my phone. I was absolutely shocked, surprised. Then within a very short time, I was in Miami. Apple TV+ gave us an amazing opportunity to do this series and our partners with Inter Miami and MLS have been absolutely astounding from day one. They gave us this front-row access to witness it all. So it happened very quickly and we were very fortunate to be in the position to document it.

What was the pitch to Messi that got him onboard?

He has a deep passion for the game and really wants to tell this new chapter. His career is just incredible. It’s an absolutely storied career and there will be many other documentaries that will go back and tell all of the wonderful moments. This one, however, tells it in real time. It’s the story of the present day, which is Inter Miami and his decision to bring his family to America.

Enthusiasm and excitement for the series aside, was Inter Miami winning it all even a consideration?

At the beginning when he announced it to the world — and they had that incredible welcome party in Miami — we had no idea what was in front of us at that point. No one expected the run for the Leagues Cup. When we started to embed, we figured we’re just going to take this slowly because it’s July and the season ends in October. At that point, they were the very last in the Eastern Conference. So in our wildest dreams, we had no idea they would just go on this incredible roller coaster ride. From our advantage point, we just really wanted to give viewers a deeper understanding and a greater appreciation for the accomplishments.

What can viewers expect from the remaining three episodes?

The first three episodes are a great sports story. It really was a team going through a seismic shift. The next few episodes, the longer we were able to stay embedded, more trust was given and we were able to really spend time with many of the players. We just had absolutely priceless and magical moments.

Finally, is there a second season of “Messi Meets America” in the works?

I’ve been asked that question a few times. The response is that we’ve been incredibly busy. We’re just hyper-focused on getting these first six out and really proud of how they’re turning out. This is the type of series you don’t have to be a huge soccer fan to appreciate. If you like good sports stories and you enjoy learning about some really compelling individuals, then this is the series for you.