Lionel Messi officially signs with Inter Miami, after weeks of anticipation
It’s officially happened.
Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, is now a member of Inter Miami CF.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner made the signing official with the club Saturday afternoon. Specific details of his contract have not been revealed, other than it runs through the 2025 Major League Soccer season. The club previously said the deal would be for 2 1/2 seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million a year.
“I’m very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States,” Messi said in a statement released by the team. “This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project. The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I’m very eager to start helping here in my new home.”
Messi first announced his intentions to join Inter Miami last month, and it has been a whirlwind since. His former Barcelona FC teammate Sergio Busquets is expected to join the team too, though he has not officially signed yet. Jordi Alba, another former teammate of Messi and Busquets is rumored to be making the jump to Miami as well.
Gerardo “Tata” Martino, Messi’s former coach with Barcelona and the Argentina national team, officially took over as head coach on Monday. He will be coaching his first match Saturday night at St. Louis. Before Saturday’s games, the team was in last place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Messi’s debut with the team is scheduled to be next Saturday at DRV PNK Stadium in a Leagues Cup match versus Cruz Azul.
Inter Miami posted three tweets Saturday to announce Messi’s signing, which included an image and video of him wearing a pink Inter Miami jersey.
Sí, Muchachos pic.twitter.com/8E3f9hb9VU
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 15, 2023
BIENVENIDO 1⃣0⃣ pic.twitter.com/df1TJQQoYv
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 15, 2023
En Argentina nació, y acá lo podrán ver pic.twitter.com/cttcLKzepc
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 15, 2023
Messi, 36, has a lengthy list of achievement and accolades: seven Ballon d’Or titles, three The Best FIFA Men’s Player awards, two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls, three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Awards, six European Golden Shoes, six La Liga Best Player recognitions, eight Pichichi Trophies and 15 Argentine Footballer of the Year awards.
“Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to this amazing city. Players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to help grow football in the USA and to build a legacy for the next generation in this sport that we love so much,” Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said in a statement. “Today that dream came true. I couldn’t be prouder that a player of Leo’s caliber is joining our club, but 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.”
Messi will be officially introduced Sunday evening at “The Unveil” at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, where the team plays now. Free tickets were offered to season-ticket holders, and they are showing up on the secondary market. There is chance tickets will be released to the public though the team, keep checking the intermiamicf.com website for details. The event will be televised on Apple TV beginning at 8:30 p.m.
The DRV PNK Stadium Fan Zone outside the stadium will open at 9 a.m Sunday, and the stadium gates opening at 6 p.m. An unnamed live performance on the field will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the ceremony starts at 8:30 p.m.
Apple TV will also be broadcasting Messi’s first Inter Miami training session Tuesday at 8:45 a.m.
Information from the Associated Press was used to supplement this report.