It’s very possible that no soccer personality in America is more closely associated with Lionel Messi than Ray Hudson. For years, Hudson was the voice America heard when watching Messi play, calling Barcelona matches on GolTV and later Bein Sports. As Messi mesmerized American audiences with his acts of greatness, Hudson did his best to describe them, often launching into hyperbolic, prose-laden calls that solidified his place as one of the game’s most recognizable voices.

So when Messi touched down at Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium, which sits less than a mile from Hudson’s home, many assumed the former Newcastle United and Fort Lauderdale Strikers midfielder would be on the call. Hudson first made his name in 1970s South Florida as a member of the Strikers, a long-defunct pro team that played their games on the same land DRV PNK sits on. When Inter Miami arrived in MLS in 2020, Hudson served as a voice on their local broadcast crew.

By the time Messi arrived in August, though, Hudson was no longer in the picture, having moved on to other opportunities. He turned down an approach from Apple, MLS’ new broadcast partner, an opportunity which would’ve pushed Hudson — who is very much a homebody these days — back into the grind of extensive travel. For a spell, it seemed like American audiences might never get to hear Ray Hudson call a Lionel Messi goal again.

That changed when CBS Sports approached Hudson ahead of the U.S. Open Cup semifinal. Hudson was in Cincinnati to provide color commentary for Miami’s dramatic, come-from-behind triumph over FC Cincinnati, and he did not disappoint. When Messi played a perfect ball to teammate Leo Campana, Hudson said Messi could “drop a pint of beer into a shot glass at the other end of the bar.”

In the 96th minute, when Messi once again found Campana for a late equalizer, Hudson lost his mind.

Hudson’s style is not for everyone, but it’s beyond argument that he’s among the very few soccer commentators in the United States that’s seemingly done the impossible: crossed over into mainstream consciousness. His calls have been spliced together and compiled, uploaded on YouTube and passed around amongst diehards and newcomers alike.