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Lionel Messi has officially been unveiled as an Inter Miami player, with the Argentine star presented to a huge crowd at his new club.
The former Barcelona and PSG attacker was presented to a sold-out crowd of around 20,000 at the club’s DRV PNK Stadium.
Their enthusiasm was clear, with fans waiting patiently through lightning and rain to see the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner being unveiled.
The star winger has joined Inter Miami until 2025, having left French giants PSG earlier this summer after two seasons at the club.
There, he registered superb tallies of 32 goals and 35 assists from his 75 appearances in all competitions. It follows on from his incredible 672 goals and 303 assists from his 778 matches in all competitions at Barcelona.
For Argentina, meanwhile, the attacker has over a century of goals, finding the back of the net 103 times from his 175 matches.
Inter Miami can only hope that the 36-year-old can continue his phenomenal form in Major League Soccer (MLS), but given his track record that really shouldn’t be a problem.
What number will Messi wear at Inter Miami?
Messi has worn many iconic shirts over the years, with the winger handed the likes of the number 30 and 19 shirts at Barcelona, before of course donning the number 10 shirt.
At PSG, he also wore the numbers 30 and 10, with the attacker playing a key role as the French club won the league title in both of his seasons in Paris.
The star forward has also worn the number 19 and 10 jerseys for his country, with the latter, of course, now one of the most iconic sights in world football following the 2022 World Cup.
Now, the iconic jerseys will continue, with Messi given the number 10 jersey at his new club in MLS.
The Argentine hero, fresh from leading his country to World Cup glory in December, was unveiled on the pitch at DRV PNK Stadium via a huge catwalk, with the club introducing him as “America’s number 10, the world’s best number 10.”
Messi excited to get going
It is unclear exactly when Messi will first play for Inter Miami, with fans undeniably excited to see their new star in action for the very first time.
There has, however, been talk of a debut arriving in the club’s opening match of the Leagues Cup tournament against LIGA MX side Cruz Azul on 21 July.
Messi is available for that match and could therefore feature, while there is also plenty of excitement around the arrival of his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets, who has also signed for Inter Miami until 2025.
The Argentine himself is very keen to get going, with Messi noting (via BBC Sport) upon his unveiling at DRV PNK Stadium: “I’m very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States.
“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.”
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