An Emotional David Beckham Introduces Lionel Messi to Miami

Justin Ray

17 July 2023 at 11:12 am·2-min read

It was a highly anticipated ceremony complete with fireworks, a roaring stadium of soccer fans, and one of the greatest athletes of all time.

On Sunday, Inter Miami introduced its newly signed player Lionel Messi during a sold-out event at DRV PNK Stadium, located about 30 miles north of downtown Miami. The Argentina soccer legend inked his multiyear contract with the club a day prior, making him the highest-profile member of MLS since David Beckham joined LA Galaxy back in 2007, according to ESPN.

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“I am very happy to have chosen to come to this city with my family, to have chosen this project, and I have no doubt that we are going to enjoy it very much,” Messi said, according to ESPN. “We are going to have a good time, and great things are going to happen. Thank you very much, thank you all for this day.” He added: “I can’t wait to start training to compete. I feel the same desire I’ve always had to compete, to really want to win and to help it [Miami] continue to grow.”

Beckham, who is a co-owner of Inter Miami, spoke to the significance of Messi’s decision to join the team.

“Ten years ago, I started my journey to build a new MLS team. I said then, I dreamt of bringing the best players in the world to South Florida and to the great city to Miami. Players who shared our ambition to grow soccer in this country. . .We are so happy that you are all here to celebrate this incredible moment,” Beckham said, according to ESPN. “So please forgive me for feeling a little bit emotional tonight. It truly is a dream come true to welcome Lionel Messi to Inter Miami. . .Bienvenido a La Familia.”

Messi’s star power is already being felt by Inter Miami fans. Tickets for what will likely be his first match are selling for as much as $110,000, CNN reported, citing a search on ticket reselling website Vivid Seats. The prices are among the most expensive ever recorded for an MLS team.

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