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Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — You can hear the parking lot around DRV PNK Stadium before you can see it.
Lien Miami perhaps preparing to introduce Biggest contract in American professional sports: Lionel Messi.
The 20,000 fans who attended Sunday’s event responded in kind. Drums, trumpets, cymbals, reggaeton. Argentina and Inter Miami flags waved side by side, Albiceleste and pink and black ripples in the rapidly darkening sky.
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About an hour before the gate opened, it looked like a typical day in southern Florida. But if you’ve ever spent a summer here, you know how quickly the weather can change. The rain fell at 6pm. Hard. High winds and thunder soon followed.
But even a sudden storm didn’t stop “The Unveil,” as the event’s name suggests. South Florida has been waiting for more than a month for this date, since Messi announced it on 7/6 that he will join the club.
Seeking shelter from the pouring rain, about a thousand fans smashed through the stadium gates during the 90-minute suspension due to the weather. By the time the gates officially opened at 8pm, there seemed to be more people coming to the stadium than before.
“I didn’t take anything away from LeBron [James]but this is like a global level,” said Carlos Sanchez, Inter Miami’s season ticket holder, comparing Messi’s arrival to when the NBA’s biggest star joined the Miami Heat in 2010.
“This extends beyond Miami-Dade and Broward County,” added Sanchez. “GOAT is outside.”
David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami, has been waiting for this day even longer. Once the face of MLS and the most famous signing when he joined LA Galaxy in 2007, Beckham introduced Messi as the next superstar of the almost iconic league.
“Ten years ago, I started my journey to build a new MLS team,” Beckham said from the rain-soaked stage in the middle of the field. “I said at the time, I dream of bringing the best players in the world to South Florida and the wonderful city of Miami.
“Players who have shared with us the ambition to develop football in this country… We are delighted that you are all here to celebrate this incredible moment.”
It was the culmination of a showcase that saw Miami be christened with murals of Messi, food dedicated to him, billboards put up and shirts sold out.
“I’m so glad I chose to come to this city with my family, chose this project and I have no doubt we will love it,” Messi said in Spanish as he finally stepped onto the stage. “We’re going to have a good time and great things will happen.”
James joining the Heat is perhaps the biggest signing in American sports – until last week. Messi is said to have four times the reach of the NBA’s all-time top scorer; James’s 156 million Instagram followers pale in comparison to Messi’s 479 million.
Miami is no stranger to star talent, having seen the likes of Dan Marino, Dwyane Wade and Tyreek Hill – not to mention LeBron James and his decision to fame in 2010 when bringing his talents to South Beach.
The club itself lags far behind Messi (Inter Miami has 10 million Instagram followers), but that’s more than the city’s four other major men’s teams – the Dolphins, Heat, Marlins and Panthers (9.1 million total).
And then there are Messi’s numerous titles with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and the Argentina national team (including the 2022 World Cup).
LeBron is great, but Messi is global.
One can feel the long wait before Messi arrives in Miami or even signs an official contract. When Inter Miami hosted Austin FC on July 1 in their first home game after Messi’s decision, everyone had a sense of what was to come.
Although there was less traffic on match day than about an hour before the game started, the media area was packed. Two media members joked about the pitch being full, fearing the mess to come in what would be one of the smallest (compare DRV PNK’s 20,000 capacity to Barcelona’s Camp Nou near 100,000) that Messi has ever played at home.
Tickets for the Austin game and the next July 4 home game against Columbus can be found for $3. Before Messi’s home debut on July 21 against Liga MX team Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, tickets will cost as little as $250 up to some tickets in the $1,000-2,000 range.
‘Everywhere Messi goes, it’s a revolution’
To say that Wynwood is covered in graffiti murals is an understatement; It’s easier to find snow in Miami than a blank wall here in one of the city’s top arts and entertainment neighborhoods.
To the west of the newly built WYND 28 apartments on NW 28th Street, Maxi Bagnasco found an empty wall. The Argentinian artist was commissioned to paint a mural of Messi – something he has done in numerous locations around the world.
Several other murals of Messi have popped up around Wynwood, but Bagnasco’s one easily tops them all. Occupying almost the entire wall of the five-story building, his mural is strikingly realistic; if you don’t know better, you might think it’s a billboard.
It was 90 degrees and wet outside. Bagnasco took a break from work, sunscreen and white paint smeared on his face and clothes. When asked if he had any water to drink, Bagnasco smiled and pointed to a six-pack of beer lying in the shade under a nearby tree – a gift from a fan.
As he spoke mostly in Spanish, the car slowed to a stop. Motorcycles pulled up to the curb, pedestrians leaned forward toward the monolithic wall, their feet drooping as they received the memo.
Everyone does the same thing — stares for a few seconds, gapes, then reaches for their phone to take a picture. Bagnasco smiled approvingly, but he wasn’t surprised.
“Everywhere Messi goes, it’s a revolution,” he said in Spanish. “There are a lot of people coming here from different countries, Argentina too. That’s what Messi brings.”
Bagnasco began painting on July 1 and took about three weeks to complete. One day, while working, he looked down and saw Beckham staring at him.
“What the hell—! It’s David Beckham,” he exclaimed, needing no interpreter to describe his reaction when he saw his unexpected visitor.
Beckham jumped over the fence to talk to Bagnasco, who ended up taking the elevator to help whiten Messi’s teeth – all while Victoria Beckham stood below and videoed for Instagram.
‘messy’ meal for goats
An estimated 150,000 Argentines live in Miami; If you’re looking for a restaurant that advertises Messi-themed food, you probably won’t have to look far. Hard Rock Cafe, where Messi has an endorsement deal, has just launched a sandwich inspired by one of his favorite foods, chicken milanesa.
But other joints are getting a little more creative.
At La Birra Bar in North Miami Beach, restaurant manager Emmanuel Arballo hyped their latest creation and was eager to share it. He personally escorted a burger on a silver tray from the kitchen to a high table. When he put it down, it took a few seconds to figure out how to handle it.
Its buns are upside down and underneath the milky white sauce called “mayochurri” are two pieces of beef that are combined with white cheese.
It’s a messy Burger. Understood?
Arballo said: “We are Argentinians and like good Argentinians, we are delighted to welcome Messi here. “I think [Diego] Maradona and Messi are the two best players in history. So we thought it would be a good idea to have a dish in memory of Messi, so we created this burger – the ‘messy burger’.”
I went to North Miami Beach to try the new “Messy Burger” at the Argentinian burger joint @LaBirraBarUSA – a tribute to soccer star Lionel Messi before his arrival @InterMiamiCF
2 patties, Bacon, Argentinian Cheese, Mayochurri, Grilled Onions, Inverted Dumplings 🤌🏾🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/MXknZC0P5F
– Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) July 12, 2023
This restaurant is a branch of a chain of restaurants founded in Argentina by Daniel Cocchia with his wife and son in 2001. The restaurant – which has 17 locations in Argentina and one in Madrid – launched a tribute to Messi on July 10; The date is not random.
Behind the registration board hangs a pair of jerseys, each with the iconic number 10 worn by both Maradona and Messi.
“For us, he’s not human. He’s like a god,” Arballo said of Messi. “We love football, we breathe football and we think Messi is the greatest. It’s exciting, we’re happy he’s here.”
Room for more Messi (and Miami) fans
The club has averaged between 12,000 and 15,000 fans per game this season even though they are currently bottom of the MLS table. The fans are loyal, and they are loud.
It is located below the north stand of the DRV PNK Stadium on match days where “La Familia” gathers before the game begins. That is to say, the superfan collective includes all five factions of the club’s official support groups: Vice City, The Siege, Nacion Rosa y Negro, Southern Legion and IMS.MMXX.
Together they all went to their seats, playing drums and trumpets along the way. When they get there, their flag will go up, so will the pink smoke. The word “chair” is used liberally here; they were standing and shouting the whole game.
They will be the heartbeat for the new wave of fans that will join them, many of whom will likely wear Messi’s jersey.
Carlos Sanchez, the aforementioned season ticket holder, placed the order shortly after hearing the announcement in June. A season ticket holder since the club’s founding in 2014, he was almost in tears when Messi arrived.
“Dreams come true, man,” he said. “We all watched him win the World Cup. Little did we know he could come here. So when we saw it was true, we almost cried. It was like this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Attending with his family for Miami’s game against Columbus on July 4, Sanchez noted some new faces in the stands, but he was not the gatekeeper for the club he has supported for the past decade.
He said there is always room for more.
“There’s definitely a lot of people jumping into the Miami bandwagon,” he said. “But I like pink and black. I’ve been here since day one but I welcome everyone to come. This is an experience that will make many people fall in love with the sport.
“That’s the best thing that can happen to this league right now and happening in Miami, our hometown. It’s great, man.”
border, Lionel Messi. South Florida has been waiting for you.
