• Loading stock data...
Friday, May 9, 2025
Join us May 14 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Leagues of Their Own Register Now

Messi Meets Capacity Crowd Amid Downpour Ahead of MLS Debut

  • Rapturous crowd greets Argentinian legend at formal introduction.
  • Garber touts MLS increasingly becoming ‘a league of choice’.
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Messi Mania is at a fever pitch — and we’re still four days away from the soccer icon’s first MLS match.

Fans packed the 18,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday night for the formal announcement of Lionel Messi’s celebrated arrival to Inter Miami, an event the team called La PresentaSÍon. 

Despite no soccer being played and a torrential downpour forcing a two-hour weather delay, the rapturous crowd literally and figuratively soaked in the joyous atmosphere of the Argentinian star’s arrival to MLS.

“I am happy to have selected this city to come to, and to have picked this project,” Messi said. “We are going to share many beautiful moments together.”

Tickets to the event were free to Inter Miami season-ticket holders.

Also participating were Inter Miami co-owner and president David Beckham — whose own heralded 2007 MLS arrival in Los Angeles laid the groundwork for a move like Messi’s — and majority club owner Jorge Mas, while MLS commissioner Don Garber was on hand for perhaps the most celebrated player acquisition in league history.

“We want MLS to be a league of choice — a league of choice for players, for fans, for partners, and ultimately for investors,” Garber said. “And when you have the best player of all time making MLS his league of choice, I think it’s really a testament to where MLS is and where it’s going.”

Messi’s first on-field MLS appearance will be a July 21 Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul. Even after a recent softening in the resale ticket market, get-in prices are still hovering near $300.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Celtics-Knicks Game 3 Tickets Near Super Bowl Prices

Game 3 against the Celtics has resale ticket prices beginning around $700.

Stars’ $96M Rantanen Bet Paying Off Big at Other Teams’ Expense

Rantanen was traded by Colorado after not agreeing to a contract extension.

Reeling Cavs Have NBA’s Third-Most-Expensive Roster Next Season

Cleveland trails the Pacers, 2–0, in the conference semifinals.

FanDuel Misses Projections As Betting Favorites Dominate 

FanDuel is hit by customer-friendly betting outcomes during March Madness.

Featured Today

Fat Perez reacts after hitting his shot on the 16th tee during the WHOOP Shot at Glory on the 16th hole at TPC in Scottsdale on Feb. 5, 2025.

Golf Influencers Are the New Currency for PGA Tour and LIV

YouTube golf is big business. The rival tours are staging formal events.
Feb 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson talks with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11), forward Mikal Bridges (25), and guard Josh Hart (3) during a timeout in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden.
May 6, 2025

Before the Villanova Knicks, There Were the Kentucky Celtics

Three decades ago, Boston tried its own version of the college-teammate experiment.
Mar 22, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Joao Fonseca (BRZ) reacts after winning a point against Ugo Humbert (FRA)(not pictured) on day five of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 6, 2025

João Fonseca Is a Teen Tennis Phenom. His Parents Are Overseeing His..

The Brazilian is forgoing a management team in favor of his parents.
Athlos
May 4, 2025

Nike Wants to Pull Off the First Women’s Sub-4:00 Mile

Experts speak on whether Nike’s “moonshot” is realistic or a gimmick.
Sue Bird

USA Basketball Moving Women to Men’s Model Under Sue Bird

The move marks a major change for USA Basketball’s women’s operations. 
Dec 21, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker (9) warms up in the end zone before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium.
May 5, 2025

Ravens Release Tucker Amid Kicking Woes, Misconduct Allegations

Tucker spent 13 years with the Ravens.
Tyrese Haliburton
May 7, 2025

Tyrese Haliburton ‘Gladly’ Taking Fine for Game-Winner Celebration

Haliburton hit his second game-winner in the past three games Tuesday. 
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Portfolio Players is our bi-weekly spotlight on the athletes and investors reshaping the business of sports. This week, venture capitalist Kai Cunningham unpacks why athletes land top deals and how the usual investing rules don’t always apply.
Front Office Sports
exclusive
May 3, 2025

Jayson Werth: Winning Belmont Stakes ‘Comparable’ Emotions to World Series

Werth spoke to FOS at Churchill Downs about the race day high.
Apr 13, 2025; Bristol, Tennessee, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) during driver introductions for the NASCAR Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
May 3, 2025

NASCAR Champ Buys Into Ohio Racetrack

Blaney won the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2023.
Aug 9, 2024; Paris Saint-Denis, France; Fred Kerley (USA) and Kyree King (USA) react after the men’s 4x100m relay during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France.
May 2, 2025

Fred Kerley Arrested Again at Grand Slam Track Hotel

He hit his ex-girlfriend, another track athlete, the police report says.
Apr 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) looks for a shot against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the third quarter during game four of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum.
May 1, 2025

Pacers Ban Tyrese Haliburton’s Father for ‘Forseeable Future’

John Haliburton got in the face of Giannis Antetokounmpo after Tuesday’s Game 5.