Messi is ready for Miami - but is Miami ready for Messi?

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Jun 2023 14:52 BST
• 3 min read

Lionel Messi has announced his intention of signing for Inter Miami, but does the Argentine know what he is getting himself into?

Inter Miami arrived on the Major League Soccer scene to plenty of fanfare. Expectations were high when the south Florida city was awarded an expansion franchise - after all the ownership group included none other than David Beckham.

But with the club into their fourth season of MLS play, it is fair to say that expectations haven't been met. To be sure, Messi is joining a fairly illustrious list of names to have already played for Inter, including Gonzalo Higuain and his brother, Federico - who is considered an MLS great - as well as Blaise Matuidi.

READ: How much Lionel Messi will earn at Inter Miami

Yet on and off the pitch, Inter Miami have largely been nothing short of an absolute mess.

Is Miami Fort Lauderdale ready for Messi?

Not only does Inter Miami not actually play in, you know, Miami but Beckham and company still don't have a proper, permanent stadium - construction on the club's ground next to Miami International Airport is only set to be completed in 2025.

The Herons currently play in the provisional 18,000-capacity DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. "We have a temporary stadium," goalkeeper Nick Marsman told ESPN in an interview after the Messi announcement, "people can enter the field, we go to the stadium without security."

"Personally, I think that the club is not ready for the arrival of Messi," the Dutchman added. Indeed, in their short history, Inter Miami have rarely been ready for anything. They began play in their inaugural 2020 season without a shirt sponsor.

A year later, they were sanctioned by MLS for violating the league's transfer rules with the signing of Blaise Matuidi. In none of their three seasons, they have managed to finish higher than 12th in the league's Supporters' Shield (regular season) standings.

READ: Lionel Messi’s PSG SECRET revealed ahead of Inter Miami transfer

This term, they sit bottom of the Eastern Conference with 16 games played (11 losses, five wins), boasting one of the worst attacks in the league with 15 goals. The team is also currently without a coach following the sacking of Phil Neville.

The signing of Messi - still not officially completed - will be a coup for Miami and the league, but the Argentine is walking into a right mess.