Messi League Soccer, the American soccer league formerly known as Major League Soccer (MLS, at least), accidentally got its start on a blustery Sunday night in Fort Lauderdale, home of Inter Miami Stadium, a side that unveiled their new signing yesterday: a Certain Lionel Messi, seven-time Ballon d’Or and youngest world champion with Argentina.
Outside a stadium in the rain, packed with fans in Inter, Barça or Argentina national team shirts, all with the number 10 on their backs, the club’s owner, Jorge Mas, shouted from a platform in the middle of the field that Messi from now on will also be “the 10th of the United States”. He also said the storm that would ruin the event was actually “holy water.”
The Argentina striker then calmly walked down the catwalk, hugged David Beckham, the club’s sporting director and the man in whose footsteps he hoped to follow by moving to Miami (rather than returning to Barcelona, even Saudi Arabia), and He promised: “I come with the desire to always win, to compete. I am very glad that I chose this city to come with my family. Very nice things will happen and we will have a great time.”
A video came with an impressive parade of personalities who welcomed him: athletes like Tom Brady, Stephen Curry or Juan Martín Del Potro, the musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Alejandro Sanz, Maluma, DJ Balvin or Marc Anthony and the mayor of Miami , Francis Suárez, Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election. The families of striker Beckham and of Sergio Busquets, the club’s other big signing for this season – who had previously said a few words in English – took to the field and greeted everyone at the Publicity… and as soon as they could, they slipped away from there, looking for a roof to take refuge under.
Inter Miami fans with the likeness of their new star Lionel Messi. CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH (EFE)
The rain had delayed the launch of a show called PresentaSÍón (for whatever reason, the club decided to make the star’s “yes” their main marketing argument). The start was announced for 8:00 p.m., with the doors opening two hours beforehand. And the doors opened, but most of all the heavens opened.
A storm of biblical proportions caused early-rising fans to seek refuge in the few covered seats at the semi-open air DRV PKK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, a city 40 kilometers from Miami where Inter plays while the new basketball court is planned and built. Many had to wait in cars while the lightning started long and edging closer, and locals lived it with the resignation that only habit gives. An hour and a half later, access to the grandstand was finally granted.
After the uncertainty of whether the thing would finally take place or not, a party began with DJs, reggaeton, fireworks, speeches, big cars in inter-pink, performances by musicians Camilo and Ozuna and the passion of a predominantly Latino fan who loved him loved chanting the name of his new idol and that he’s continued to pinch himself every morning since the star said “yes, I do” to Mas, a Cuban-American businessman who is also President of Zaragoza. To commemorate this day, an advertisement broke out in the city’s newspapers on Sunday morning simply saying “Welcome Month YES”.
family things
The player has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with a salary of between $50 million and $60 million per season, less than what he would have expected at 36 if he had settled into the siren chants of Saudi Arabia. The deal includes a stake in the team upon their exit, an undisclosed share of global broadcast rights owned by Apple TV, and the sale of Adidas sports gear.
Messi not only has a task to achieve competitive glory for his new team, which he joins after two years at Paris Saint Germain and a lifetime at Barcelona, but also the task of bringing the MLS league and football in the United States together another level, a country where the sport (“the best sport in the world,” said Beckham, as he took the floor) never quite caught on.
Earlier this afternoon, MLS executive president Nelson Rodríguez, in a meeting with the press (fortunately not all the press as there were 600 accredited journalists), stated that it was finally time for the world to put its eyes on this part of the world when it comes to soccer. And he named the series of events he believes will help fulfill his wishes: the celebration of the Copa America for national teams in the United States, next year’s Club World Cup and the following year the Men’s World Cup for national teams , with the country set to host the women’s tournament in 2026 along with Mexico and Canada, and in 2027.
Rodríguez also gave a reason that wasn’t so obvious to the naked eye to explain why Messi decided to come to South Florida. It’s hidden in a video released this week, which shows the star shopping at a supermarket alongside his wife Antonella Roccuzzo and their three unruly children. He is calm, wanders the halls carefree. “When I saw it,” Rodríguez explained, “I thought this was the best claim to attract new stars. Rest easy here, no one will bother you.”
But he had already explained in an interview with EL PAÍS that part of his promotional arguments was to make it clear to the striker that his family life was a priority. In the show of his lecture it became clear; Perhaps the most common word in the speeches was “family.”
The final test took place after 10pm when Messi finally entered the pitch. He did it accompanied by his sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro and those of Busquets, touching the ball a couple of times. Finally, Miami got to see their new idol play. His first training session is scheduled for Monday. And his opening game is on Friday; a game against the Mexican team Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, a North American club competition.