MIAMI – Lionel Messi finally made it to the Inter Miami training camp in Fort Lauderdale to train with his new teammates.
During part of the training session at the Florida Blue Training Center, located next to Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium, Messi and his former Barcelona teammate, Sergio Busquets, warmed up with Venezuelan striker Josef Martínez, who seemed to be in charge of answering the questions from the two newcomers.
Messi was seen smiling, talking and practicing with the whole group, both doing some physical work and playing with the ball.
In images from Telemundo 51, the Argentine star can be seen talking with Martínez and working with the ball with other Inter players.
Both Messi and the Spanish Sergio Busquets, also present at the training session, were greeted with the traditional corridor or tunnel, in which the players applauded and patted each other on the back under the watchful eye of Tata Martino
Both players were in good spirits as they touched the ball in the South Florida heat.
The Argentine said last Sunday that he was very happy to have signed for Inter Miami and said he was “very eager to compete and win.”
“I am very happy to have chosen this project,” said the man from Rosario from a packed DRV PNK Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale, during his official presentation as the brand new number 10 of the Major League Soccer club.
The winner of seven Ballon d’Ors said that he is taking on this new professional stage with the desire to help the club continue to grow.
Messi was presented at a major event this Sunday at the DRV PNK Stadium, which also featured the Spanish Sergio Busquets, who was a teammate of the Argentine star at Fútbol Club Barcelona.
Everything indicates that the debut of Messi and Busquets with Inter Miami will be on July 21 in the match against the Mexican Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup. Some tickets for the match against Cruz Azul are on the markets for more than $10,000 each .
The club announced that Messi’s deal will be for two and a half seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually – putting the total value of the deal at between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone.
In pictures: this was the moment in which Messi officially joined Inter Miami
Lionel Messi finalized his deal to join Major League Soccer (MLS), and after years of planning and chasing, Inter Miami has achieved a global icon.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has reportedly turned down a $400 million a year deal from Saudi club Al-Hilal to join MLS.
Messi’s contract became official on Saturday, just over five weeks after he declared he would join Inter Miami.
The Argentine Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, who has already trained Messi at Barcelona and in the Albiceleste team, led his first session as Inter Miami coach on Monday and this Tuesday he was with the entire squad directing the training.
Inter Miami urgently needs all the reinforcements it can get to straighten out its season, since it is bottom of the East (18 points after 21 games) and accumulates ten games without knowing victory (three draws and seven losses).
