When will Lionel Messi make his Inter Miami debut?

Tom Weber

Updated: 21 Jul 2023 16:29 BST
3 min read

Lionel Messi and the Inter Miami badge, set against an abstract light pink background — © ProShots

Lionel Messi has officially been unveiled as an Inter Miami player and he could make his debut for the club against Cruz Azul on 21 July.

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The Athletic have reported that Inter Miami boss Tata Martina plans to start Messi on the bench before bringing him on with 30 minutes left of the game.

Sergio Busquets, Messi's former Barcelona team-mate, is also expected to feature in the Leagues Cup fixture, but Jordi Alba will miss out after the birth of his child.

The Argentine brought his drawn-out transfer saga to an end when he announced his intention to join the Fort Lauderdale-based club last month. Rumours about a potential return to Barcelona or a big-money move to Saudi giants Al-Hilal were put to bed with the move to Miami.

Miami co-owner Jorge Mas has revealed that it took three years of negotiations to land Messi. Indeed, ever since the creation of the franchise in 2018, the expectation was that they would eventually bring the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner to MLS.

READ: Lionel Messi at Inter Miami: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2023

Miami fans will yet need to show a bit of patience before they can finally watch the World Cup winner in action, however, as fans will be disappointed to read reports that Messi will not start the match against Cruz Azul, which kicks-off at 1am BST on 22 July. The game takes place on 21 July in America.

Bienvenido Messi! Inter Miami just announced media credentialing process for “major unveiling event that will include exciting entertainment, speeches on the pitch and more” July 16, 8 pm. @HeraldSports @InterMiamiCF @MiamiHerald #InterMiamiCF #MLS #Messi𓃵
— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) July 7, 2023

Crazy ticket prices

Tickets for Messi’s Inter Miami debut are being sold for an astronomical $110,000 on the black market, according to CNN.

The average price for tickets for the game are not cheap, either, as they are going for $487.

CNN reports that some fans are travelling as much as 700 miles to get to the game, while ticket prices for Inter Miami games have increased around 700 per cent since Messi signed.

MORE: Saudi Pro League summer transfers 2023: All the Done Deals

If Messi isn't turned to against Liga MX side Cruz Azul on 21 July, then he'll face fellow MLS outfit Atlanta United four days later on 25 July.