MLS
Inter Miami celebrate fourth anniversary of MLS debut
The Herons made their MLS debut against Los Angeles FC on 1 March 2020. Four years on, with a galactic project, they dream of winning the title.
The 1st of March is a very special date for Inter Miami. On this day back in 2020, the dream harbored by David Beckham and the Mas brothers finally materialized with the colors of the franchise. La vie en rose became a global phenomenon last year with the arrival of the galácticos headed by Leo Messi. It turned out to be an historic season for the club - far removed from the struggles it endured during its beginnings which was plagued by poor streaks, promising signings that failed to live up to expectation until their fortunes changed last summer when the franchise convinced the best player of all time to join.
In 2018, David Beckham surprised the international football community by announcing that he would be co-owner of a new franchise in MLS. Since then Beckham, who many consider to be the first promoter of soccer in the United States, set himself the challenge of signing Messi. However, more than five years before being able to realize that dream, Inter Miami brought in another seasoned veteran of European and Argentine football, Gonzalo Higuaín.
El Pipa landed in Florida as the first big signing of the new era. Fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate his arrival - he was the top scorer of a season in Serie A, twice voted the best player in Italy and before that had triumphed in Spain at Real Madrid. During his two and a half seasons in Miami, he donned the electric pink shirt 70 times and racked up 29 goals, before hanging up his boots for good in January 2023.
Higuaín was succeeded by Josef Martínez as the second great galactic of the blond office project. The Venezuelan, who arrived with the credential of having been the best player in the competition in 2018, disappointingly failed to show his full potential in Fort Lauderdale. His numbers attest to this with just a dozen goals in 40 games, numbers very far from the expectations regarding his signing.
In July 2023, the dream of David Beckham and the Mas brothers finally came to fruition. After several years of courtship and overseas meetings and talks, Leo Messi confirmed his signing for the Herons. The emotion enveloped the entire United States, unleashing an unparalleled obsession with fans desperate to see the No.10 in action. Messimanía was now a reality. Along with the Argentinean ace, other galácticos followed such as Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and later Luis Suárez - signings that one by one would have prompted a change for any team, but all of the focus remained on Messi. MLS hit a rich vein by luring Messi which it has been able to exploit in the best possible way.
Practically every stadium or city that the Argentine star passes through, has ‘sold out’ posters hanging outside. His Pantone pink 1895C jersey is already the best-selling in the entire country, ahead of other megastars like Patrick Mahomes or LeBron James. The obsession has even been such that in less than a year be much sweeter Apple TVouldn’, owner of the rights to the competition, has already released two documentaries about him (‘Messi arrives in the United States’ and ‘Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend ‘). Life couldn’t be much sweeter for Inter Miami but the franchise has loftier plans with the ultimate aim of reaching greatness by lifting the MLS Cup with Messi as their standard bearer.