Lionel Messi attended a wet but celebratory unveiling event on Sunday, where he met his new fans from Inter Miami and was acclaimed as “America’s number 10” by the club’s owner, despite the fact that it rained on his parade.
Even though there was a massive thunderstorm right before the event that was supposed to honor the arrival of the Argentine World Cup winner in Miami, the stadium that has a capacity of 20,000 was almost completely full.
As supporters took shelter or waited out the storm in their vehicles, event organizers were forced to postpone the opening of “The Unveil” because of the heavy tropical rainstorm that was occurring.
Fans were screaming Messi’s name despite the rain and excitement as the lights dropped inside the venue. The event started around two hours later than it was first slated to begin.
David Beckham, who is now a co-owner of the club, gave the opening remarks and described Lionel Messi’s arrival as a “dream come true.”
“Leo, we are so proud that you have chosen our club for the next stage in your career,” said the former Manchester United player who moved to the Los Angeles Galaxy of the Major League Soccer in 2007, becoming the league’s previous biggest arrival. “We are so proud that you have chosen our club for the next stage in your career,” added the former Manchester United player.
Beckham then added, in Spanish, “Welcome to our family, Leo,” which was met with cheers from the audience.
Jorge Mas, the primary owner of Miami, then gave his own statement in both Spanish and English to rile up the fans.
The Cuban-American entrepreneur remarked that “tonight is a gift and celebration to the city that opened its arms to my family.” “Tonight is a gift to the city that opened its arms to my family,”
“This is holy water!” he said as he continued, “Tonight we are doing this in the rain.”
This is our time to shine! Our opportunity to make a significant impact on the state of football in this country,” he continued, before introducing Messi as “Your new number 10, America’s number 10.”
Messi, who came in Miami on Tuesday with his family and made a viral sensation after being spotted shopping with them in a local supermarket, thanked the supporters. The photograph of Messi and his family shopping in the supermarket went viral.
“I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has shown me support and affection along this journey. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be in Miami at this moment,” he exclaimed.
“I really want to start training, and I want to compete. I still have the same desire that I’ve always had to compete, and I still want to win. I want to be able to contribute to the continued development of the club.”
“I am very happy to have chosen to come to play in this city with my family, to choose this project and I have no doubt that we are going to enjoy it a lot, we are going to have a good time, and that very good things are going to happen,” he added. “I am very happy to have chosen to come to play in this city with my family.”
On Saturday, it was announced by Inter Miami, the worst club in Major League Soccer, that the seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or had signed a contract to remain with the club until 2025.
Following the expiration of his contract with the French club Paris Saint-Germain a month ago, the former great of Barcelona made the decision to sign with Miami.
After the transfer was finalized, his new teammate Sergio Busquets, a Spanish midfielder who formerly played with him at Barcelona, was also introduced to the fans.
The commissioner of Major League Soccer, Don Garber, lauded Mas for his dogged pursuit of Messi for the club, which is just in its fourth season.
The best there ever was in any era
“Right from the outset, Lionel Messi was one of his top priorities. Garber told the press, “I have to say, when he would say that many years ago, I didn’t think that he would be able to deliver it.”
“But here we are today with a player that I think, without a shadow of a doubt, is not only a generational player, but in my opinion, the greatest player of all time.”
The club announced on Sunday that the press conference that he was planning to hold the next day, Monday, would be postponed. There was no reason provided for the choice that was made.
It is possible that Messi may make his debut for the club on Friday when they take on the Mexican team Cruz Azul in the first game of the new Leagues Cup, which involves teams from both the Major League Soccer and Liga MX in Mexico.
However, on Saturday, the team’s new Argentine coach Gerardo Martino encouraged “patience” after watching his side’s winless record extend to 11 games. Martino’s side hasn’t won in the last 11 games they’ve played.
“We look to the future with hope (given) that the best player in the world will play for our team, but also with the patience that we have to have so that he can get in good physical shape and can play at the right moment,” he said. “We look to the future with the patience that we have to have so that he can get in good physical shape and can play at the right moment.”
The Latin music superstars Camilo and Ozuna were scheduled to perform at the DRV PNK Stadium, which is located approximately an hour’s drive north of the Miami downtown area.
Even though the event began with pyrotechnics, the stadium, which serves as Inter Miami’s temporary home and formerly served as the home of the now-defunct Fort Lauderdale Strikers, was not totally packed at the time.
It is anticipated that Inter’s Freedom Park stadium would not open until the year 2025, despite the fact that it is already in the development stages.