Messi's new empire: This is Inter Miami

Until three years ago, football played a completely subordinate role in Miami. From a sporting perspective, the focus is primarily on the Miami Heat (basketball), Miami Dolphins (football) and Florida Panthers (ice hockey). Miami is also a frequent venue for the legendary Super Bowl and now also a Formula 1 race. David Beckham wants to change this. He wants to make football more popular in the USA and founded the club Inter Miami in 2018. In 2020, the kickers with the pink and black shirt played in the top American league (MLS) for the first time.

However, success has been limited to date. With the former Juventus players Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain (they have since ended their careers), Beckham has only been able to lure two well-known players across the pond to date. Inter Miami has only made it into the playoffs once so far. This year the Beckham club is only in last place in the Eastern Conference. But that could change in the future, because Inter Miami has achieved a real coup with the Messi deal.

A perfect match Right from the start, the focus of the new Messi club has been primarily on Spanish-speaking players, as a large number of Miami residents speak Spanish. This way the fans could identify with the players better. Inter Miami currently has an average attendance of just under 17.000, which is a decent number given the current stadium capacity of 18.000. The new arena, which is not yet completed, will then offer 25.000 seats, which will be needed due to the Messi hype at the latest.

The Messi hype in Miami is already huge. © APA/afp / GIORGIO VIERA

The metropolitan region around Miami has a total population of around 6,1 million and is one of the largest in the USA. Accordingly, Messi could kiss a sleeping giant awake. The external impact for football in the USA is also likely to be enormous - and at the right time. In 2026, the USA will host the World Cup together with Mexico and Canada. In addition, after the Messi deal, other superstars could also be lured to Miami or the MLS. Messi's reputation is huge, as was recently seen at the World Cup in Qatar.

Who follows the Messiah? In terms of sport, he now has to at least adapt to the level. None of the current squad has a market value of more than 4 million euros. Phil Neville has been the coach in recent years. Beckham recently had to sack his former Man United teammate due to continued lack of success. Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who has already coached the now 35-year-old at Barcelona and the Argentine national team, is being discussed as the new coach for the Messi team. Something is happening in Florida's metropolis, far away from the legendary parties on the infamous Miami Beach, which attract countless young vacationers every year.

With Messi, Inter's summer shopping is far from over. The Argentine broadcaster TyC Sports also brought player names such as Sergio Busquets, FC Barcelona icon and initially freely available from this summer, or Messi's Uruguayan attacking buddy Luis Suárez into conversation as future teammates. National team colleague Ángel di María would also be a possibility after leaving Juventus. All players who, in addition to the Florida sun, would contribute to the well-being of the instinctive footballer Messi.

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Messi's new empire: This is Inter Miami

On Wednesday evening, Lionel Messi officially confirmed that his footballing future lies in the USA. We took the opportunity to introduce Messi's new club - Inter Miami - to our readers in more detail.

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