NEW signing Lionel Messi has been officially presented to cheering crowds at Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium.
A sold-out crowd of about 20,000 waited through downpours and lightning to see the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner given a number 10 shirt.
In a brief address in Spanish, Messi, 36, thanked supporters and said he had the “same desire” he always has.
The World Cup-winning Argentina forward joins the Major League Soccer (MLS) club on a deal until the end of 2025.
He will be reunited with defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets – with whom he played at Barcelona – who has also signed for Miami until 2025.
Busquets, too, was formally unveiled during Sunday night’s event.
Messi entered the pitch via a huge catwalk and was introduced as “America’s number 10, the world’s best number 10”.
Seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry also welcomed him to the United States in video messages.
“I really want to start training, to compete,” Messi said. “I have the same desire that I always had to compete, to want to win, to help the club continue to grow.
“I am very happy to have chosen to come to play in this city with my family, to choose this project and I have no doubt that we are going to enjoy it a lot.
“We are going to have a good time and very good things are going to happen.”
Don Garber, commissioner of Major League Soccer, said someone of Messi’s status choosing to play in the league was a “transformational moment”, and he hoped the signing would “shout to the world that this is a soccer nation”.
Garber added: “It’s been so many years of developing this league into becoming a player on the global stage, so it’s a very momentous night for us.”