MIAMI — The main attraction (by a landslide) Sunday night at Fort Lauderdale’s DRV PNK Stadium wasn’t the only reason for soccer fans to revel in “The Unveil’’ extravaganza celebrating new Inter Miami megastar Lionel Messi.
Messi’s longtime friend and former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets, another giant in the world’s most popular sport, joined the party — as it turns out, his 35th birthday party — as the newest midfielder to grace the Inter Miami roster.
“Hello everyone,’’ the 6-foot-2 Busquets told the packed stadium after posing with his pink Inter Miami No. 5 jersey hoisted by team owners Jorge and Jose Mas, with co-owner and former soccer great David Beckham beside them. “Thank you for coming. I am very happy to be here in Miami.
“For me it’s a blessing to be [part of] Inter Miami and I wanted to thank Jorge, Jose, David, [sporting director] Chris Henderson and [chief business officer] Xavi [Asensi] for making this possible,’’ the Spaniard continued. “I’m so excited to start training and playing with my teammates.
“See you soon! Thank you so much.’’
Inter Miami announced late Sunday afternoon that it had signed Busquets, regarded as one of the all-time great defensive midfielders, to a contract that runs through the 2025 Major League Soccer season. He announced in May he was leaving Barca after 18 years with the club and had already agreed to terms with Inter Miami last month, made apparent when Inter Miami posted a tweet that said, “Si, Busi,’’ referring to Busquets’ nickname and including comments about him from other soccer stars.
But the contract wasn’t finalized until this weekend.
Busquets helped his country win the 2010 World Cup and 2012 UEFA Euro titles, and is a nine-time La Liga winner and former FC Barcelona captain. He made 143 appearances for Spain, third most of any player in the country’s history. Before joining Inter Miami, Busquets spent his entire professional career at FC Barcelona, making 721 appearances through 15 seasons.
He will make his Inter Miami debut with Messi at DRV PNK Stadium on Friday against Mexican team Cruz Azul in the opener of the Leagues Cup tournament.
“This is a special and exciting opportunity that I’m very excited to take,’’ Busquets, from Sabadell, Spain, said in the club’s written release. “I’m looking forward to this next step in my career with Inter Miami. I was impressed by the Club when I came with Barcelona [for a friendly] last year and now I’m happy and ready to represent the Club myself. I can’t wait to help bring the success that this ambitious Club strives for.’’
Inter Miami’s Jorge Mas said that “since Day 1 we have set out to bring the world’s best players to Inter Miami. Sergio’s repertoire speaks for itself.’’
Henderson called Busquets “one of the smartest players to ever play the sport; He reads the game at an unprecedented level and impacts every facet of play. Sergio is a winner, a leader and a world-class talent.’’
About two hours before a furious thunderstorm dumped its wrath over the stadium, causing officials to delay the live music and entertainment and eventual player introductions, fans gathered outside the stadium. Many wore pink and black Inter Miami gear, while others donned Messi’s blue-and-white-striped jersey from his Argentine national team.
“I know a lot about Messi, but Busquets is one of my favorite defensive midfielders,’’ said Sergio Angel, 13, an eighth-grader from Coconut Grove. “I love that when he’s getting pressured with the ball, he’s really calm. I love his passing. I love how he plays, that he’s not that aggressive and plays so calmly. He’s a really nice guy. He seems very humble.”
Angel, who came to the stadium with his family, asked his 9-year-old sister, Laura, what she liked most about the whole day.
“Bad Bunny,’’ she deadpanned, describing the popular Puerto Rican rapper/pop star as “very handsome.’’
Andrew Orejuela, 25, from Sunny Isles Beach, said that Barcelona was his “main team,’’ and that he loved Messi above all, but that Busquets was “one of the top midfielders in the word.’’
“He analyzes the game, knows how to pass, knows how to create more goals and options for the rest of the team,’’ Orejuela said. “The talent they bring together will wake this team up, help them go. I’m ready to support.’’
Lila Pereyra left her house in Queens, New York, at 5:30 a.m. just to get a glimpse of Messi in person.
“I’m very much excited,’’ she said. “Saturday, I realized I could not purchase for his game, because it’s sold out, but I realized I could be here for his presentation. I was born in Argentina and didn’t come to the United States until I was 26 in 1980.”
What did she know about Busquets?
“Not much,’’ she said. “But this is absolutely worth coming here for Messi. I watch his game highlights time and time and time again. And I get emotional every time.’’
