MLS
This is Inter Miami, Leo Messi’s new team: history, players and current league form
The Florida franchise was founded in 2018 by David Beckham with the likes of Higuaín, Matuidi and Pozuelo some of the high profile players to wear the iconic pink shirt.
Messi’s new destination is one of the newest franchises in MLS with Inter Miami barely five years old. The club are owned by the Mas brothers (Jorge and José) with David Beckham the highest profile figue of the ownership group.
Lionel Messi will not be the first global star to wear the famous black and pink Inter Miami jersey with the likes of former World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi hanging up his boots this year at Inter Miami after joining in 2020. Gonzalo Higuaín was the other high profile star to figure for the Herons with the Argentine striker still holding the record for the franchise’s top scorer with 29 goals.
Despite the high profile stars and the Beckham influence, Inter Miami have struggled on the field and yet to achieve any significant success in its short history.
Founded in 2018
The Fort Lauderdale side were founded in 2018 and made their MLS debut in 2020 and play in the Eastern Conference. In this time they have been coached by three coaches in their brief history: the Uruguayan Diego Alonso; Phil Neville and the current Argentine Javier Morales (who was part of the backroom staff with the Englishman sacked at the beginning of June). At the moment the club are on the lookout for a new coach to replace Neville with Argentine, Tata Martino heavily linked with the position.
The Beckham effect
David Beckham has been highly instrumental in Messi’s final decision to come to Florida. The former LA Galaxy and England star has been desperate to bring in a global superstar to boost the club’s global profile and it’s anticipated that Messi will not be the last of the big name players sporting the pink shirt.
Inter Miami plays its matches at the DRV PNK Stadium, located in Fort Lauderdale and with a capacity for 18,000 fans with the club developing plans to establish a new bespoke soccer arena in Miami as part of the Miami Freedom Park initiative.
At present the club languish in last place in the Eastern Conference and prop up the table with just 15 points from the opening 16 games of the 2023 MLS season.