Watch: Lionel Messi unveiled at Inter Miami to huge fanfare in packed out DRV PNK Stadium
Lionel Messi was unveiled at Inter Miami on Sunday night after a slight delay due to heavy rains. The Argentine had around 20,000 fans waiting for him at the stadium when he was presented with the #10 jersey by the MLS side.
MLS's official social media channels have now uploaded the videos of the unveiling, which saw the Inter Miami owners - including David Beckham - presenting the jersey to their latest signing.
You can watch the video below:
Soak it in, Leo Messi.
The warmest of welcomes to @InterMiamiCF. https://t.co/STzKSDrBGh
Speaking to the fans following the unveiling, Messi said:
"Thank you very much. Good evening. I want to thank all the people in Miami for this welcome, this affection since I arrived here. I am very excited to be with you. I want to thank Jose, Jorge, and David for this recognition, for making everything easy, and for making us feel at home. I really want to start training, and competing, I really want to win and for this club to keep growing."
He added:
"I hope that throughout the tournament you will continue to accompany us. Personally, I believe that my teammates are going to give everything to build this project and I am very happy to have chosen this city, to have chosen this project and I have no doubt that we are going to have a great time and we are going to experience very nice things."
Lionel Messi could make his Inter Miami debut this week when they take on Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup match. However, his MLS debut will take four weeks as the next match is against Charlotte FC on August 20.
Lionel Messi happy with his decision to join Inter Miami
Lionel Messi had the chance to return to Barcelona this summer or move to Al Hilal for word-record wages. However, he and his family opted to make the move to MLS and accept the offer from Inter Miami.
Speaking on the Argentine TV show Llave to Eternity, Messi revealed that he was happy with the decision and was waiting to join his new teammates. He added that he was not planning on slowing down and that his mentality would be the same as it had always been. He said:
"Well, we are happy with the decision we made. [I am] Prepared and eager to face the new challenge, the new change; my mentality, and my head will not change and I will try where I have to be now to give the maximum for myself and for my new club and try to perform at the highest level."
Marca have reported that Al Hilal tried to lure Lionel Messi until the very end. They reportedly offered a €500-million-per-season package to the former PSG star, but could not get the deal done.