A media horde of 200 reporters, photographers and camera crews lined the north side of Inter Miami’s Fort Lauderdale training facility in the blazing sun Tuesday morning to capture the first images of Lionel Messi training with his new teammates.
A helicopter hovered above the field and dozens of security guards were stationed around the perimeter of the facility as Messi jogged in, stretched and participated in dribbling and passing drills.
Before Messi joined the club, only a handful of reporters showed up for training. Sometimes only one. So, many of the media members did not recognize any of the players except Messi and his former FC Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets, who also signed with Inter Miami this week.
“Where is he? Where is he?” one photographer asked another as they looked through giant lenses. “He is there, next to the blond guy.”
The blond guy, by the way, was forward Josef Martinez, the 2018 MLS MVP, a member of the Venezuelan national team and Inter Miami’s leading scorer.
Messi chatted with Martinez at the start of practice and also with Brazilian midfielder Jean Mota, who is recovering from knee surgery.
Media members went through security checks before entering the field and were allowed to watch for 15 minutes before being escorted out.
Meanwhile, across the parking lot next to DRV PNK Stadium, between 50-100 fans gathered in hopes of catching a glimpse of their hero. Most of them were wearing Inter Miami shirts or Messi No. 10 Argentina jerseys. Some had giant Argentine flags wrapped around their shoulders.
One of them was Monica Mendez, who moved to Hollywood from Argentina 20 years ago. She works for Cyclone Hollywood Soccer, a youth soccer club, and is a fanatic of Messi. She and her friends were trying to figure out the best place to stake him out to get a photo or video of the Argentine star.
“We are waiting to see if we can film something, anything to show that we saw Messi in person,” Mendez said. “Because he is the best, the No. 1, it is a true joy to know he is here in the United States, and more in Miami. The truth is, I did not believe it when I first heard he was coming here. The best part is that he is coming for the good of his family. I think that is a great message for the whole world and all of us who follow him.”
Mendez and her friends are true fans of the sport, as they noticed immediately when former Bulgarian soccer legend Hristo Stoichkov strolled by. Stoichkov, who works as a commentator for Spanish-language TUDN, is regarded as one of the best players in FC Barcelona’s history and the best Bulgarian player of all time. He was runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1992 and 1994 and in 1994 received the Ballon d’Or, the award Messi has won seven times for being the world’s top player.
Mendez and her group of friends, which included a young boy in a pink Messi jersey, pink hat and carrying a replica World Cup trophy, stopped Stoichkov and he posed for a photo with them.
Their goal was still to get a photo of Messi. But if not, at least they have a Stoichkov picture as a memory of Messi’s training session.
Messi, who was unveiled in a glitzy ceremony on Sunday night, is expected to make his Inter Miami debut Friday night at DRV PNK Stadium against Mexican team Cruz Azul. The match is the opener of the Leagues Cup, a new tournament featuring all the teams in Major League Soccer and Mexican league Liga MX. Miami plays its second group stage game Tuesday at home against Atlanta United. Tickets are still available for both matches through TicketMaster.
