Lionel Messi’s unveiling at Inter Miami, the moment that the world of football waited for since it was first announced, happened in front of a sold-out crowd at the DRV PNK Stadium and a record viewership for sports on Apple TV.
The 18,000-seater capacity stadium which the Inter Miami MLS franchise calls home was packed with 20,000 in attendance, with many more seated in various sections outside the sporting arena for the unveiling of Messi and his friend, Sergio Busquets who also signed for Inter Miami after leaving Barcelona at the end of the 2022/23 season.
The unveiling event was graced by the United States of America’s biggest personalities in sports, entertainment, business and even politics.
A number of musical artistes performed to the sold-out crowd who braved a weather storm that delayed the unveiling event by several hours to welcome Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets to South Florida officially.
Sports dignitaries and celebrities like American Football icon Tom Brady, the United States Men’s National Team manager Gregg Berhalter and basketball star Steph Curry sent in video messages welcoming the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to the country, city and club.
Messi shirts which cost $200 also sold out at the Inter Miami merchandise store, making it the most profitable night in the franchise club’s history.
Speaking to the crowd who came to welcome him, Messi said: “I really want to start training, to compete. “I have the same desire that I always had to compete, to want to win, to help the club continue to grow.
“I am very happy to have chosen to come to play in this city with my family, to choose this project and I have no doubt that we are going to enjoy it a lot.
“We are going to have a good time and very good things are going to happen.”
Fans at home watching on Apple TV did not get the best of the unveiling, however.
The tech company recorded their highest viewership on their streaming service for a sports event thanks to millions of subscriptions and tune-ins ahead of Messi’s unveiling at the DRV PNK Stadium.
The viewers were left frustrated with the sound quality of the unveiling and took to social media to express great displeasure.
One Apple TV subscriber wrote: “They didn’t even bother to give direct audio or video on the #messi event. No clue what’s going on, and Apple TV clearly doesn’t know either.”
Another called for the firing of the sound engineer for Apple TV who worked on the Messi unveiling. “Whoever is the production manager or sound engineer for the Messi show at Inter Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium should be fired,” the frustrated user wrote. “The audio is terrible. DO BETTER.”
Messi, meanwhile, will be looking forward to training with Busquets again in the coming week and will be getting straight into MLS action with his new teammates.
