FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — A fitting South Florida atmosphere welcomed futbol legend Lionel Messi to Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer Sunday night at DRV PNK Stadium near Fort Lauderdale. There was constant music, dancing in the stands, flag waving, and a steady downpour that no one seemed to mind.
“Tonight is a spirit and energy that personifies Miami,” Managing Owner Jorge Mas told thousands of rain-soaked fans eager to welcome the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and FIFA World Cup champion. “There will always be a before and after Lionel Messi and tonight, that journey begins.”
After signing a massive contract on Saturday, Messi was treated to a celebration that Mas called “a personification of dreams coming true,” the beginning of a new era for the Club, South Florida, the MLS, and soccer in North America.
“I’m very moved to be with you here in Miami,” Messi told the crowd in Spanish while standing on a wet makeshift stage near mid-field. “I want to thank you on behalf of my family for the kindness you’ve shown. This has happened so fast. It’s spectacular to arrive here. I’m anxious to train and compete. I want to win and I want to be a champion.”
The Argentinian superstar is expected to be on the pitch Friday when Inter Miami CF plays Cruz Azul in the opening match of Leagues Cup. The respective leagues have paused their seasons from July 21 to Aug. 19 to decide the three clubs that will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. Tickets for Friday’s event as of Sunday ranged basically up to $2,000 on the home side, though someone is hoping to get $5,000 for a front-row seat.
That’s a hefty price to watch a last-place team in the Eastern Conference that was all but forgotten when the Miami Heat reached the NBA’s Finals and the Florida Panthers played for the Stanley Cup. But Messi’s arrival is now the biggest story in town and the futbol world.
Legend’s executive legacy tied to Lionel Messi’s MLS success
No one is more thrilled than co-owner David Beckham, whose legacy as an executive hinges on Messi’s impact on the club and MLS. “I couldn’t be prouder that a player of Leo’s caliber is joining our club,” Beckham said. “I am also delighted to welcome a good friend, an amazing person, and his beautiful family to join our Inter Miami community. The next phase of our adventure starts here, and I can’t wait to see Leo take to the pitch.”
South Florida began buzzing mid-week when Messi was spotted food shopping with the family at a local Publix Super Market. Selfies and autograph signings began to pop up all over social media as fans fawned over the man many call the GOAT.
“People don’t know how big this is going to be,” Sergio Moreno, a 28-year-old futbol lover from Miami told Sportsnaut. “Americans aren’t that into soccer. They like basketball and baseball, but Messi is a global star. Now I can go see him in person. Hopefully, the ticket prices don’t get so high regular people can’t go.”
The signing of Messi is easily the biggest for MLS since Beckham arrived to play for the LA Galaxy in 2007 and is being compared to when Pele came to the U.S. in 1975 to play for the New York Cosmos. Messi, 36, chose Miami over Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia after Mas, MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Apple TV put together a package he couldn’t refuse. His contract which runs through 2025 is reportedly worth between $50 million and $70 million annually.
The team also made two key personnel moves signing Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets as a designated player, and hiring his former Barcelona and Argentina manager, Tata Martino, who coached Atlanta United to the MLS Cup in 2018.
“I’m very happy to be here in Miami,” Busquets said. “For me, it’s a blessing to be part of Inter Miami. I’m excited to start training and playing with my teammates.”
The Miami-born Mas said the signing of Messi would change the futbol landscape in the United States of America. “In 2018, we made a promise to build an ambitious club that would attract the world’s elite players,” Mas said, “a club that would transform the global view of futbol in the United States and ensure that wherever futbol is discussed, Inter Miami is part of the conversation.”
It’s Messi’s Miami now.
George Willis is a columnist for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.