Messi mania is coming to Denver Saturday. 

The Colorado Rapids announced Friday that more than 70,000 tickets had been sold for the club’s 30th anniversary match against defending MLS Cup champions Inter Miami CF to be played on Saturday at the Denver Broncos’ home, Empower Field at Mile High.

If that holds, it will shatter the Rapids’ single-game attendance record of 61,213.

Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m., and many in attendance will hope to see Argentine forward Lionel Messi take the pitch for the visitors. 

As of Friday afternoon, Messi was not listed on the player availability report released by the teams, indicating that he’ll be available for selection. 

The global superstar with 116 international goals has never played in Colorado.

The Rapids, at least publicly, have expressed excitement over the anticipated crowd but not focused on No. 10 for Miami. But given Messi’s impact on the sport — Colorado’s Paxten Aaronson wears No. 10 in honor of Messi — that’s easier said than done.

“To be able to wear the No. 10 and now, tomorrow, to be able to play against Messi, a guy who’s been my idol since such a young age, it’s obviously a super exciting moment,” Aaronson said. “I think also speaking to the rest of the guys on the team, it’s about not getting caught up in that moment but making sure we stick to our plan and play our game.”

Coach Matt Wells sees this as an opportunity to grow the game. That’s been a repeated refrain of late, with the Denver Summit FC debuting last month in this same stadium in front of a league-record 63,004 and the U.S. women’s national team hosting a friendly against Japan in Denver on Friday night.

“That’s all I see is opportunity,” Wells said. “The opportunity for us to play our football, the opportunity for us to put on an incredible show for our fans who come to every game and an incredible opportunity for us to put on a great show to the fans who are maybe coming for the first time.”

Even though the Rapids (4-3) are at a home away from home, they’ll look to maintain their Colorado form. The club has scored 12 goals in three home games this season. The Rapids’ 19 scores are tied for the most in the league’s Western Conference. 

Meanwhile, the champs enter Saturday’s contest having only dropped one match this season, the club’s opener against Los Angeles FC on Feb. 21. Since then, Miami (3-1-3) has been on a six-game unbeaten run in MLS play. 

With the match labeled “must-see” on Major League Soccer’s website and set to air on Apple TV, Colorado seems primed to be at the center of the MLS world come Saturday, but not everyone is pleased. 

Some Rapids fans are less than thrilled with the way this 30th anniversary match and the opportunity to see one of the greatest football players of all time have been handled, particularly moving the game from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City (capacity just under 20,000) to the Broncos stadium. 

“Honestly, I’m disappointed in how feverishly everyone is kissing the ground (Messi) walks on,” Rapids fan Austin Reynolds said. “I mean, he’s probably the greatest player in the history of the game, and it’s always fun to watch him play, but this whole operation of moving games to other venues and the reports that the Rapids had to bid to prove to the league that they could do a good job hosting and all that really sours the moment for me.”

The cheapest seats for Saturday’s matchup as of Friday evening on Ticketmaster were around $80 for the 500 section or the upper level of Empower Field. Tickets for the Rapids’ May 9 match against St. Louis City SC in Commerce City on the same site start at around $30 in the supporters’ section and $36 elsewhere.