FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — When Inter Miami began floating the notion that it would be the team to land Lionel Messi and bring the World Cup champion to Major…
When Inter Miami began floating the notion that it would be the team to land Lionel Messi and bring the World Cup champion to Major League Soccer, there were no shortage of people who were, to put it mildly, skeptical about how realistic a plan that was.
Among them: MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Yes, even the man running the league had a bit of doubt.
Not anymore. Messi to Miami isn’t just crazy talk. It happened, with the team — currently with the fewest points in the MLS standings and mired in an 11-game winless streak — unveiling Messi at its home in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday night in a celebration that was delayed by a storm that sent thousands of fans running for cover and left puddles on the pitch where Messi will soon play.
“Here we are today with a player that I think, without doubt, is not only a generational player but in my opinion the greatest of all time,” Garber said. “Went through a process throughout his decision-making period over the last number of months, if not the last year, to determine where he was going to play. Many of you have heard us say that we want MLS to be a league of choice, a league of choice for players, for fans, for partners, and ultimately for investors.
“And when you have the best player of all-time making Major League Scocer his league of choice, I think it’s a real testament to where MLS is and where it’s going in the years ahead.”
The event billed as “The Unveil” was happening at the team’s stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
