When will Lionel Messi make his debut for Inter Miami? All you need to know

Inter Miami after years of plotting pleading and hoping introduced arguably the gamersquos biggest star on Sunday night presenting their new franchise player with his pink No 10 jersey that millions of people will be buying over the coming weeks and monthsldquoIrsquom very much moved to be here in Miami to be with yourdquo Messi said ldquoI want to thank you all of you on behalf of my family for the kindness that you have given merdquoWhen Inter Miami began floating the notion that it would be the team to land Messi and bring the World Cup champion to Major League Soccer there were no shortage of people who were to put it mildly skeptical about how realistic a plan that wasAmong them MLS Commissioner Don Garber Yes even the man running the league had a bit of doubtNot anymore Messi to Miami isnrsquot just crazy talk It happened with Messi now tasked to lift a team that currently has the fewest points in the MLS standings and is mired in an 11game winless streakldquoHere we are today with a player that I think without doubt is not only a generational player but in my opinion the greatest of all timerdquo Garber said ldquoWent through a process throughout his decisionmaking period over the last number of months if not the last year to determine where he was going to play Many of you have heard us say that we want MLS to be a league of choice a league of choice for players for fans for partners and ultimately for investorsldquoAnd when you have the best player of alltime making Major League Soccer his league of choice I think itrsquos a real testament to where MLS is and where itrsquos going in the years aheadrdquoThe event billed as ldquoThe Unveilrdquo happened at the teamrsquos stadium in Fort Lauderdale It comes one day after Messi MLS and Inter Miami finalized his signing through the 2025 seasonAlso Read Messi mania engulfs Miami crowd as Inter unveils Argentina forward WatchItrsquos the start of a busy week of events for Messi with his new club His first official training session that will be open to reporters is set for Tuesday and mdash if all goes to plan mdash he will play Friday in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul That could also be the Miami debut of World Cup winner Sergio Busquets a Spanish midfielder who completed his longawaited signing with the club Sunday through the 2025 seasonMessi a World Cup champion for Argentina and seventime Ballon drsquoOr winner as the worldrsquos best player in a given year is joining a club that has the fewest points in MLS and is mired in an 11match winless streak Inter Miami opened the season with two wins and has gone 3143 since It has 12 MLS matches left this season and is 12 points out of a playoff spot mdash so itrsquos going to take a ton of wins just to have a chanceThe club previously announced that Messirsquos deal will be for 2 12 seasons and will pay him between 50 million and 60 million annually mdash putting the total contract value between 125 million and 150 million in cash alone There are other factors the value of which isnrsquot knownldquoThis ought to be fun This journey here in Miami has been an epic onerdquo Garber saidMessirsquos greatness is not in question he led Argentina to the World Cup this past December and is still generally considered one of the very best goalscorers in the world mdash if not the bestWhen will Argentina legend make his debutJuly 19 Messi is not officially on the roster for the AllStar game against Arsenal but he is believed to make a brief appearance at Audi Field in Washington DC on July 19July 21 After months of play and no rest Messi may need at least a month off football and to be eased back into playing which is why it has been reported that his debut for the club would likely be their Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul on July 21 at DRV PNK StadiumAugust 20 After that match there will be another break during which Messi can rest again before facing Charlotte FC at home on August 20 for his MLS league debut