Inter Miami announce ‘The Unveil’ to welcome Messi to MLS

Since Lionel Messi's announcement that he will be joining Inter Miami last month, there has been very little news about the team. A formal statement of his planned arrival is forthcoming. While the Argentine has not yet arrived in the United States, anticipation for his arrival is growing. Inter Miami's Instagram following increased by almost […]

Since Lionel Messi‘s announcement that he will be joining Inter Miami last month, there has been very little news about the team. A formal statement of his planned arrival is forthcoming.

While the Argentine has not yet arrived in the United States, anticipation for his arrival is growing. Inter Miami’s Instagram following increased by almost 5 million.

Prior to his decision they had around 1 million, and it went up to 6.1 million. This jump came in the 24 hours after he announced his intention to join Major League Soccer. Now they have 9 million people following them in total.

Adidas’ iconic SoHo shop displays in New York City, almost a thousand miles from Messi’s new house in Florida, are adorned with lifesize cardboard cutouts of the Argentine star.

When will Inter Miami unveil Lionel Messi?

Messi will soon be introduced as a member of Inter Miami. He became a free agent at the end of June and confirmed his transfer to the United States last month.

On Sunday, July 16, Inter Miami will hold a unique event to introduce Lionel Messi to the Miami community. How the general public may participate is yet unclear. On the same day and at the same time as the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, the Unveil will take place. It’s also possible that the stadium may host a public training session on July 17.

Allegedly, the club will also introduce his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to the supporters. After his official unveiling, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will make his debut for the MLS team on July 21 against Cruz Azul.

Bienvenido Messi! Inter Miami just announced media credentialing process for “major unveiling event that will include exciting entertainment, speeches on the pitch and more” July 16, 8 pm. @HeraldSports @InterMiamiCF @MiamiHerald #InterMiamiCF #MLS #Messi????

— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) July 7, 2023

12 games remaining to save the season

The club is also reportedly close to finalizing a deal for longstanding Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba. The arrival of the 34-year-old defender is all but finalized.

According to Relevo, Miami aren’t done recruiting star players; they’re also attempting to add Eden Hazard.

While the Herons are certainly excited to have three serial winners join the team, making the playoffs will be a huge challenge.

They still have a steep climb ahead of them and have the poorest points total in the Eastern Conference after 20 games, with only 17 points. They sit nine points adrift of the last playoff place.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Sven Simon