Argentine star Lionel Messi landed in Florida on Tuesday ahead of putting the final touches on his move to US Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
ESPN television footage showed Messi walking off a private jet at a small, executive airport adjacent to Inter Miami’s stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Fans had begun to gather at the stadium early in the morning ahead of his expected arrival.
The World Cup winner is likely to sign a two-and-a-half-year contract worth $60 million per year before being introduced to fans at a stadium function on Sunday.
Messi is the most famous player to have moved to MLS and the most famous Brazilian to have done so since Pele joined for the New York Cosmos in 1975.
MLS hopes that Messi will raise the league’s profile and increase subscriptions to their streaming broadcast partnership with Apple TV. Ticket costs for games in which Messi is expected to play have already skyrocketed.
His arrival will also add to the excitement around the sport as the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepare to host the 2026 World Cup.
Former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets is likely to join him at the club, while ex-Argentina and Barcelona coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino recently took over as coach.
Messi and Busquets might be among “three to five” new signings for Miami in the current transfer window, according to Miami owner Jorge Mas.
Former Barcelona player Jordi Alba has also been strongly connected with a move to the squad, which is co-owned by former England and Manchester United great David Beckham.
Messi is set to make his debut for his new club against Mexican team Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on July 21.
Miami presently sits at the bottom of the MLS’s Eastern Conference with five victories in 21 games and is rated 28th out of the league’s 29 teams.
However, the club is in the semi-finals of the US Open Cup, where they will face league leaders FC Cincinnati.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has spent the previous two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Barcelona in 2021.
Messi won 10 Spanish league titles, seven Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) titles, and four Champions League winners medals with Barcelona.
He scored twice for Argentina in the World Cup final in Doha in December, which they won on penalties after the game ended 3-3 after extra time, and he lifted the trophy as captain.
Messi also won an Olympic gold medal with Argentina in 2008 and the Copa America in 2001.