Lionel Messi debuts with Inter Miami: why the Argentine is the magic magnet of an MLS that puts first place

The sun always shines in Florida. There are no mosquitoes like in Buenos Aires, but the wind blows hard, making it a bit uncomfortable and forcing you to wear a coat. The sea hits the wintery but warm sand of Fort Lauderdale, the beautiful coastal city north of Miami that he chose Lionel Messi walks his last stretch as a showman of world football. However, even if retirement looms and inevitably approaches, His magic and magnetism are intact just hours before MLS raises the curtain on the 2024 season. The first performance will take place this Wednesday, starting at 10pm (Argentine time, two hours more than here), when InterMiami will receive Royal Salt Lake at Chase Stadium.

Has the “star team” moved stadiums? Not for now. Only the name has changed. He left the DRV PNK banner, the result of a deal with the auto company AutoNation, to become sponsored by the largest bank in the United States and one of the largest financial companies in the world. And this is also the product of Messi’s impact on increasingly globalized football.

The magnet Messi, the one who led the club on an intense and controversial tour of Asia in just four years of existence and two of competition, is not seen on the streets of the city. But he begins to feel the fury for Leo as you approach the stadium. He has room for 21,500 spectatorsbut it appears imposing for two significant factors: it is made with tubular structures because it was imagined as a temporary court and it was built in just eight months. First world espresso.

Next door is the city of sport and it is the first world without adjectives. The retreat has nothing to envy of the best clubs in Europe. Facilities for training departments – the “academies”, as they call them here – and for professional staff. Lionel Messi appeared there this Tuesday after 10:00. It was a formation that began with a “Chinese bridge”. Franco Negri for his 29th birthday – he then received a warm hug from captain Leo – and continued with light movements to await the match against Real Salt Lake, coached by Pablo Mastroenia man from Mendoza who not only shone in the “prehistoric” MLS – he played for Miami Fusión, the city’s previous franchise – but also became captain of the United States national team.

Jordi Albaeternal companion of the surplus and center back, he warned that this season Inter Miami will do everything. “The idea is to win everything we play. It won’t be easy, but it’s what we want. That’s why we keep playing. Otherwise we will stay in our homes.”, the Catalan defender underlined in a press conference with 25 journalists. He also gave peace of mind for the health of Messi and Luis Suárez, who measured their energies during the tour in Asia. “We are all well”he noted.

A smiling Gerardo Martino spoke about it. “The tour forced a balance between commercial and sporting. And I think we passed the test, even if I estimate that only between the third and fourth appointments will we find our best version”Tata said, relaxed and convinced, that in Miami he likes being a coach and nothing more than a coach. A different Martino from the one who raised his guard and fought against the Mexican journalists and who also joked about the shorts he chose to train in and about the cold. “It feels good, but I had a hard time changing.”summarized in full Argentinianness.

Imam Messi can also be seen from behind bars outside the stadium. A handful of cell phones broadcast live from the XXL parking lot. Something unthinkable for any football team before the arrival of the Rosario star. But the most curious thing is the pilgrimage of the fans who come to the site to take selfies with the pitch in the background and in the hope that captain Scaloneta will appear. Why didn’t he have the same luck as that family of Argentinians who crossed paths with him and chased him until he signed a shirt.

Messi is God in and around Miami. He generates devotion. And not just among the fans. He is also the spiritual fuel of a team that dreams of establishing a dynasty. “Leo does something impossible every day: always play well. He does it in matches and also in training. The normal thing is to play well some days, other days average and sometimes badly. He’s always at his best. And he never ceases to surprise. Yesterday he scored a beautiful goal in training and all his teammates stopped to applaud him.”revealed the Argentine Javier Morales, one of Martino’s assistants, in dialogue with Clarion.

That’s Messi. In Argentina, in Barcelona and now in the United States. The show is about to start and the host is the best showman you can find. Even if the years pass.