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Lionel Messi attended Inter Miami CF training and met with his future teammates on Thursday, ahead of his official presentation with the MLS club on Sunday, sources told ESPN Argentina’s Esteban Edul.
Messi underwent his medical on Wednesday and sources said no training photos would be taken until Messi’s contract is made official, which could be as early as Thursday.
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Messi announced on June 7 that he will play for Inter Miami in a move that is expected to revitalize football in the United States and South Florida with one of the sporting world’s best-known figures.
More than 100,000 Argentines live in Miami, which will host World Cup matches in 2026.
The seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, the sport’s most prestigious individual award, is coming off two years with Paris Saint-Germain and is expected to make his Inter Miami debut against Mexican team Cruz Azul on July 21.
In a career spanning more than 17 years with his country’s national team, Messi has scored more than 100 goals, including two against France at the 2022 World Cup, a match Argentina won on penalties.
Messi landed on Tuesday at Ft. Lauderdale airport in the company of his wife and children as the club also made the announcement confirming the welcome event, which has been called “The Unveil,” and set to start at 6 p.m. on Sunday at the team’s DRV PNK Stadium.
In an interview from Argentina TV released on Tuesday, Messi said he would give his all for the flailing MLS club, which has now gone a club-record 10 straight matches without a victory following a 2-2 draw on Sunday against D.C. United.
“My mentality and my head are not going to change and I am going to try, wherever I have to be, give my best for myself and my new club, continue to perform at the highest level,” Messi told the Argentina TV show, Llave a la eternidad.
Messi will be coached once again by his former Argentina and Barcelona manager, Tata Martino, who took over for the team in late June.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.