(CNN Spanish) — Following his presentation with Inter Miami this Sunday, Argentine star Lionel Messi appeared to confirm the date of his debut for the American club.
In his official instagram accountMessi thanked all the fans who attended his presentation event and, at the end of his post, he wrote: “See you on Friday.”
Friday 21 July is Inter Miami’s first match in the League Cup and they will face Mexican Cruz Azul. Precisely that date is the one given days ago by the managing director of the club, Jorge Mas, as a possible debut for the Argentine star.
In addition to the nod to his debut, Messi commented that the event of his presentation was different than originally planned due to rain in the area, “but even so and everything was beautiful.”
Celebrations for the event were originally scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, but heavy rains caused a two-hour delay.
But not even the rain in South Florida could stop the Argentinian superstar from unveiling and fans stoically held out at the venue until the event finally got underway.
“I want to thank the people of Miami for this welcome since I arrived in this city,” Messi told fans at Fort Lauderdale stadium.
“The truth is I’m very excited, very happy to be here in Miami and to be with you…I really want to start training and competing. I come here with the same desire to compete, to win and to help the club continue to grow.”
“I hope that during all this time they continue to support us as they have since the beginning of the season,” continued Messi. “I am very happy to have chosen this city with my family, to have chosen this project… I have no doubts that we will have fun. Thank you all so much for today.”
“We were literally competing against Saudi Arabia” by Messi
In an interview with CNN, Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber described Messi’s arrival in the league as “impressive”.
“When the best player in the world decides to move to the United States, move to Miami, put on an Inter Miami shirt and be introduced to thousands of screaming fans last night, it’s pretty impressive,” Garber said, referring to Lionel Messi. in an interview on CNN this Monday morning.
Garber said bringing Messi to Inter Miami “is really a continuation of the momentum” for the league and also commented that there was “literal” competition with Saudi Arabia for the Argentine star.
“It’s a great story that when David (Beckham) entered the league, he really shocked the world,” Garber said. “He arrived at the height of his career, at the age of 31, at the Los Angeles Galaxy. Our league is still young and in its infancy, and even then David wanted to work hard to try and build the football nation that MLS has I’ve worked to try and create in all these careers (…) But this is a dimension that goes much further. We were literally competing against Saudi Arabia, who have become a real force in the sport.”
Reported by CNN’s Jill Martin.
