Lionel Messi reportedly expected to make Inter Miami debut in July
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is reportedly expected to make his Inter Miami debut on July 21, club managing owner Jorge Mas told a small group of reporters Monday, according to the Miami Herald.
Inter Miami faces Mexico바카라 게임 웹사이트s Cruz Azul in a Leagues Cup opening match that day at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
CNN has reached out to Inter Miami and Messi바카라 게임 웹사이트s representatives for comment.
According to the , Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas said the club and seven-time world Player of the Year Messi have agreed to a deal but are still finalizing the agreement.
Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup glory last year and is widely regarded as one of soccer바카라 게임 웹사이트s greatest-ever players, said he was going to play for the Major League Soccer club.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I made the decision that I am going to Miami,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he told Spanish outlets SPORT and Mundo Deportivo earlier this month. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I still haven바카라 게임 웹사이트t closed it one hundred percent. I바카라 게임 웹사이트m missing some things but we decided to continue my journey there.바카라 게임 웹사이트
'Seminal moment'
Mas told reporters that the Messi signing is 바카라 게임 웹사이트the one seminal moment바카라 게임 웹사이트 in the history of soccer in the U.S., according to the Miami Herald.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I think there will always be a before and after Messi when we talk about the sport in the United States. I have a very, very strong held belief that we can create in North America and the United States if not the greatest league, one of the top two leagues in the world,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Mas said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I cannot overemphasize the magnitude of this announcement.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Having the world바카라 게임 웹사이트s greatest player here is something that is significant for our league, and for the football ecosystem in the United States 바카라 게임 웹사이트 Lionel Messi is coming to this country to win cups and make a difference. I think it바카라 게임 웹사이트s incumbent upon myself and my partners in the league, the other owners, to seize the moment.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Mas said security will be enhanced for the Argentine superstar and the team, according to the Herald.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Players will be bussed in, going through a tunnel. All of those security protocols are already prepared both for here and away. And it바카라 게임 웹사이트s not only for our games,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Mas said, according to the Herald.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s going to be an everyday occurrence and something we witnessed and I thought handled very well when (Messi) was here with Argentina before the World Cup.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Though Messi hasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t yet stepped foot on the pitch for Miami, the club has already benefited from a huge boost in social media followers ahead of the highly anticipated move.
Meanwhile, ticket prices all around the league are soaring as fans eagerly await Messi바카라 게임 웹사이트s first visit to play against their teams with his new club: in the minutes after it was reported that the Argentine would be moving to the U.S., ticket prices for Inter Miami matches soared by more than 1,000%.
According to the resale website TickPick, the cheapest ticket for Inter Miami바카라 게임 웹사이트s Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul on July 21 was just $29, but in the 24 hours after news of Messi바카라 게임 웹사이트s pending move emerged, the cheapest ticket was $329, TickPick on June 7 바카라 게임 웹사이트 a surge of 1,034%.