WATCH: Inter Miami Present Lionel Messi in Spectacular Ceremony Ahead of MLS Debut

FORT LAUDERDALE: Lionel Messi came out from behind the scenes, walked a few steps along a rain-soaked runway above the field at Inter Miami’s stadium and headed towards David Beckham for a big hug. His journey is over. The wait for Inter Miami is over. At last, Messi arrived.

Inter Miami — after years of plotting, pleading and hoping — introduced the sport’s biggest star on Sunday night, presenting its new franchise player with his pink No. 10 jersey, which will be sold for millions in the weeks and months to come. People will buy.

“I’m sure we’re going to have many wonderful experiences,” Messi told the crowd.

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Watch Lionel Messi’s spectacular presentation ceremony in Miami…

Lionel Messi’s MLS introduction is unreal to watch.

He had won the World Cup eight months earlier and was voted player of the tournament.

Torrential rain has sold out Miami’s stadium and fans are buying up $200 jerseys outside.

A historic moment for MLS.pic.twitter.com/OyN1ArARPa— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) 17 July 2023

Sunday was the first day. Despite the show being delayed due to terrible weather conditions, almost every seat was filled, and no one seemed to mind the drenching rain that fell throughout the evening. Messi said, “I am very excited to be here with you, in Miami.” “I want to thank all of you on behalf of my family for the kindness you have shown me.”

Team co-owner and president Beckham’s blue blazer had large black spots from the rain. It was going to take more than heavy rain to ruin this party where the fans were roaring and the music was blaring.

“Tonight is a special welcome to Miami for one of the game’s greatest players,” Beckham said during the show’s broadcast. We made it and we are very proud of it.”

Primary owner Georg Maas said: “When David and I first met and dreamed up what Inter Miami would represent, it started with the freedom to dream. And we dreamed of bringing not only the elite players and the best players, but also the best player ever – and his name is Lionel Andres Messi.

When Inter Miami began to make the impression that it would be the team to land Messi and bring a World Cup champion into Major League Soccer, there was no shortage of people who, to put it mildly, were skeptical. How realistic is this plan? Among them: MLS commissioner Don Garber. Yeah, even the guy running the league was a little skeptical.

not anymore. The Messi to Miami talk isn’t just crazy talk. That done, Messi is now tasked with lifting a team that currently has the fewest points in the MLS standings and is stuck on an 11-game winning streak.

Garber said, “Today we are here with a player who I think, without a doubt, is not only the player of a generation, but in my opinion the greatest player of all time.” “He went through a process during his decision-making period over the last several months, if not the last year, to determine where he was going to play. Many of you have heard us say that we want MLS to be the league of choice, the league of choice for players, for fans, for partners and ultimately for investors.

The event, promoted as “The Unveil”, took place at the team’s stadium in Fort Lauderdale. It comes a day after Messi, MLS and Inter Miami finalized their signing for the 2025 season. It’s the start of a busy week of events for Messi with his new club. His first official training session, which will be open to reporters, is set for Tuesday and – if everything goes according to plan – he will play in Friday’s League Cup match against Cruz Azul. It could also be the Miami debut of World Cup winner Sergio Busquets, a Spanish midfielder who on Sunday completed his long-awaited contract with the club through the 2025 season. Busquets, who turned 35 on Sunday, and Messi, 36, were previously teammates at Barcelona.

“This is a special and exciting opportunity that I am very excited to take up,” Busquets said.

Messi, a World Cup champion for Argentina and a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best player in a given year, is joining a club that has the fewest points in MLS and is on an 11-match winning streak. Caught in a dead end chain. Inter Miami started the season with two wins and has since gone 3-14-3. It has 12 MLS matches left in this season, and is 12 points off a playoff spot – so it will need a lot of wins to stand a chance.

The club previously announced Messi’s deal would be for 2 1/2 seasons and he would be paid between $50 million and $60 million annually – with a total contract value of between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone. . There are other factors also, the value of which is not known. “It should be fun. …Here in Miami this journey has been epic,” Garber said.

Messi’s greatness is not in question; He won Argentina the World Cup last December and is still generally regarded as one of the best goalscorers in the world – if not the best. That said, not everyone believes Messi’s coming into MLS will be easy, even for a veteran.