Lionel Messi and his star power ready to rock the soccer club scene in America
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An Inter Miami club flag envelops a rapturous crowd in pink as they greet Messi at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 16, 2023. The club plays its home Major Soccer League (MSL) matches here. Founded in 1993 as part of the United States' successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup, MSL represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The inaugural season took place in 1996 with ten teams.
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Fans shelter from the torrential rain outside Inter Miami's DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 16, 2023. Miami-based Bolivian businessman Marcelo Claure led the original ownership group of Inter Miami. Masayoshi Son and brothers Jorge and Jose Mas were added to the ownership group in 2017. On September 17, 2021, it was announced that Beckham and the Mas brothers had bought out Claure and Son's stakes in the ownership group.
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Fireworks light Inter Miami's stadium during "The Unveil" introducing Lionel Messi on July 16, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The celebration was broadcast globally in English and Spanish on Apple TV, MLS's first-year streaming partner. This partnership will tap into Apple's global reach, selling subscriptions to the league matches to bring in revenue.
Image by : Chandan Khanna / AFP
Argentine artist Maximiliano Bagnasco paints a giant mural of international soccer star Lionel Messi in Wynwood, Miami's art district, in Miami, Florida, on July 10, 2023. The world is still coming to terms with Messi's surprise move to the Inter Miami for the 2025 MLS season in the twilight of his career, and turn down big-money offers to play in Saudi Arabia.
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Inter Miami defender Noah Allen celebrates with teammates after his corner kick goal during a Major League Soccer (MLS) game against D.C. United on July 8, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Shaking up the club scene in America, MLS hopes to cash in on their plans for a global push after Messi arrives in the face of Saudi Arabia's big spends on late-career international players.
Image by : Gustau Nacarino / Reuters
A file photo of Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrating his second goal with teammate Sergio Busquets against FC Copenhagen during a Champions League soccer match at Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona October 20, 2010. Reuniting with Messi at Inter Miami is the Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, who has left Barcelona and has signed a contract with Inter Miami for the 2025 season.
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A New York Times advertisement announces the arrival in the summer of 2007 of English soccer star David Beckham to the US Major League Soccer team Los Angeles Galaxy, January 12 2007, Times Square, New York, US. Though MLS clubs have roped in young South American talent in recent years, they have always brought in late-stage greats, like David Beckham, who came to Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.
Image by : Chandan Khanna / AFP
Antonela Roccuzzo (L), with children Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, attends her husband Messi's unveiling as the newest player for Inter Miami CF in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 16, 2023. Messi said he is "very happy to have chosen to come to this city with my family, to have chosen this project….great things are going to happen…I feel the same desire I've always had to compete, to really want to win and to help Miami continue to grow". Messi will have his first official training session with teammates today and will play his first game on Friday.
