Lionel Messi Gives M.L.S. First Taste of the Weight of His Star
Just before 9 p.m. on Sunday, the greatest soccer player of his era, and maybe the greatest of all time, walked across a makeshift stage in his new home stadium. He hugged the owners of his new team, including the former star David Beckham. As he held his new jersey — a pink No. 10 — Lionel Messi grinned and looked up at the crowd and the fireworks.
If it has felt like a dream that Messi, who won the World Cup in December as Argentina’s captain and who has claimed seven Ballons d’Or as the world’s best player, chose Inter Miami of M.L.S. as his team for the twilight of his career, his unveiling event was proof that, yes, this has actually happened.
“Before anything, I want to give thanks to Miami for this reception and the kindness since I arrived to the city,” Messi said in Spanish in his first public comments since his monumental deal, which runs through the 2025 M.L.S. season, was announced on Saturday. “To be honest, I’m very emotional and very happy to be here in Miami and to be with you.”
For two minutes, Messi, 36, spoke directly to the Inter Miami fans who chanted his surname throughout the night at DRV PNK Stadium, about 30 miles north of downtown Miami. Messi’s introduction was called La PresentaSíon, the presentation in Spanish, but with “Sí” (“Yes”) emphasized. And in typical South Florida fashion, it took place in the rain.
Source: The New York Times
