Miami, Florida. It’s a city synonymous with palm trees, white sandy beaches – and now, Lionel Messi. Inter Miami made one of the statement signings of the summer to bring one of the greatest footballers in history to Major League Soccer, and south Florida has been consumed by Messi Mania.
Arriving in Miami, it won’t be long until you see someone wearing the club’s trademark pink shirt with the Argentine great’s name on the back. You’d be lucky to find one anywhere to buy, though – demand was simply that high at the time of his full debut in July. Even at the specially dedicated pop-up Adidas Messi store on Lincoln Road, they had only men’s 3XL left in stock, such is the appeal since the World Cup winner made the move Stateside.
Still, Inter Miami are likely to be Messi’s final professional club before he hangs up his boots, so the hype is more than justified. Messi’s face is everywhere, adorning the side of buildings, with the popular Wynwood graffiti area showcasing more than one impressive Messi mural.
At the DRV PNK Stadium on the evening of the 36-year-old’s full club debut against Atlanta United, the sun was beating down as thousands of fans arrived chanting Messi’s name, eager to get a glimpse of the superstar in action. He had already made his first substitute appearance five days earlier, when – naturally – he scored the winner in the 94th minute with a spectacular free-kick.
On his first start, he followed it up in front of a sold-out stadium with another two goals, an assist, and a helping hand in creating the other goal in a 4-0 victory. Ask any Inter Miami supporter and they’ll tell you that 4-0 wins aren’t something that happen there very often.
Messi was joined by former Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets, and at times the pair looked as though they were playing in a training match. Busquets had so much space in midfield that at one point he did a couple of step-overs just for the sake of it... before being wiped out by an Atlanta player.
Messi looked effortless. He often does, of course, but with as much time on the ball as the opposition gave him in this Leagues Cup game, he was picking out some stunning passes and creating some intricate moves that had the crowd in awe.
He has instantly given his new club-mates more confidence, too, and if they continue at this rate, the team will be sure of success in the near future. Inter Miami were bottom of the Eastern Conference when Messi moved from Paris to Florida, and though it’s unlikely that they will reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in October in order to compete for silverware, it isn’t mathematically impossible.
Messi’s impact has been so impressive that he is likely to become their top scorer in under a year. In his first three matches, he had already broken into the top 10 leading scorers for Inter Miami, and won’t waste any time in chasing down his former Argentina team-mate Gonzalo Higuain, who holds the club record of 29 goals.
The open-air stadium, which holds a mere 21,000 supporters, looked stunning as the sun set and fans continued to create a party atmosphere. There was only one person they were there to see, and it’s no longer owner David Beckham. No surprise, then, that as soon as the Argentine’s No.10 went up on the substitute board in the 78th minute, at least half of the crowd headed for the exit as the little magician left the pitch.
It is always an absolute privilege to watch some of the greatest players in the world in a work capacity, but this was a match that I was able to enjoy purely as a fan – a fan of one of the finest players we will ever see play the beautiful game. Messi fever isn’t going away any time soon.
Back to work
The Premier League is back and I’m thrilled to have a front row seat every Saturday in my new pitchside role with TNT Sports. As a football fan, you can’t beat the buzz of being in the stadium on a matchday, so as well as all of the big interviews, I’m excited to also host the Early Kick Off show, half an hour before the match build-up begins.
We’ll have even more access around the grounds before the teams arrive, so we can take a peek behind the scenes, get exclusive interviews and chat about some of the hot topics that have developed throughout the week. It’s going to be a fun season!
