Picture Credit: Twitter
World Cup winner Lionel Messi’s unveiling for MLS club Inter Miami has become the most watched unveiling in football history, Inter Miami owner David Beckham revealed. The Argentine’s presentation in Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium reached a staggering 3.5 billion views, ahead of the 3 billion views generated by Cristiano Ronaldo’s unveiling at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
Ever since the legendary Barcelona and PSG forward announced his decision to not resign from PSG and join Inter Miami, interest in both the league and the new club have gone up significantly. MLS ticket prices have skyrocketed in comparison to a minimum of more than USD 300 and Inter Miami’s followers on Instagram have gone up six-fold, from one to six million followers.
Also Read: What are ticket prices for Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and MLS 2023 debut?
While not garnering as much attention at the unveiling, Ronaldo’s impact on the Saudi League and on Al Nassr has been similar. The Saudi club has more than fifteen million followers on Instagram, with the majority coming following the signing of the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star.
Also WATCH: Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets' first training session with whole squad at Inter Miami
Messi is “very happy” with the project
Speaking to Miami fans at the DRV PNK Stadium, Messi re-iterated how happy he was with the project and with the club, stating that he still had the competitive drive to win all the titles he could.
"I am very happy to have chosen to come to this city with my family, to have chosen this project and I have no doubt that we are going to enjoy it very much," said Messi. "I can't wait to start training to compete. I feel the same desire I've always had to compete, to really want to win and to help [Miami] continue to grow," he further added.
Messi joins Inter Miami after refusing a contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain. The seven-time Ballon D’Or winner rejected numerous offers from European and Saudi clubs to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami, including a mammoth USD 400 million a year deal with Saudi club Al Hilal.
Lionel Messi’s new side Inter Miami will play Cruz Azul on Friday in the newly established Leagues Cup.
