da winzada777： GOAL takes a look back at the on and off-field moments and stories that defined the icon's first month in Miami
da pixbet： The thing you notice the most is the smile; for the past month or so, it hasn't really left Lionel Messi's face. You can see it at his unveiling, an event that would have been a rain-soaked disaster if held for any other player. You've seen it after each of the nine goals spread across six games as he's celebrated with friends old and new. And that smile has perhaps been biggest in the moments involving his three sons, who themselves are being introduced to a whole new way of life in South Beach.
For the first time in a little while, it seems that Messi is having fun, and why wouldn't he be? What a month it's been in Miami.
With the Argentine leading the charge, Inter Miami have reached the Leagues Cup final, where the club will look to win its first-ever trophy. Since Messi's arrival, their fortunes have completely turned around. They were, and still technically are, a last-place club in MLS but, with Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Tata Martino now involved, Miami feel like one of the biggest clubs in the world.
It's been a wild ride, and it's only been a few weeks. Messi is just getting started but, in just one month, he's already created enough stories and moments to last a lifetime.
Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThe rain-soaked arrival
It was supposed to be dream moment, but even Messi couldn't stop the rain. On the night of his introduction, the South Florida skies opened up, as they tend to do. It was perhaps the perfect introduction to the state: welcome to Florida, meet the rain, Leo.
It would have been easy for the weather to quite literally rain on Messi's parade, but Jorge Mas, the man most crucial in bringing him to Miami, saw it a different way.
“Tonight is a gift and celebration to the city that opened its arms to my family," Mas said. "Tonight we are doing this in the rain. This is holy water!
A wild proclamation, but also a fitting one when assessing Messi's god-like status all over the world. Despite that rain, fans made the pilgrimage to DRV PNK Stadium not to see Messi play, but to see him speak and wave a bit. Sergio Busquets was there, too, of course, but come on now… this was about Messi.
That rain-soaked night will be remembered as his introduction to American soccer, albeit an imperfect one.
Mas understood the significance: "This is our moment! Our moment to change the football landscape in this country. When David and I first met and we dreamt of what Inter Miami represents, it started off with the freedom to dream. And we dreamed of not only bringing elite players and the best players but the best player to ever don boots — and his name is Lionel Andres Messi.”
AdvertisementTwitterA dose of normality
You've seen the pictures by now: Messi out in public doing his shopping. It's like seeing an alien walking among the general population. Who knew that the Messi's liked Froot Loops so much?
Since his now famous appearance at Publix, we haven't quite seen him out in public as much, aside from a series of dinner photos with Beckham and his long-time Barca team-mates. Part of that, of course, is due to the flurry of Leagues Cup games.
Still, Miami and the U.S. offer Messi something he never quite had during his time in Barcelona and Paris: privacy. It's something that has called many players before to the United States. Steven Gerrard once said how much he appreciated simply walking up and down the Los Angeles beach with his family, having spent the entirety of his adult life as an icon in Liverpool.
Messi, unfortunately, doesn't quite have that luxury. He is a different level of famous, after all, which is why he is constantly accompanied by a bodyguard wherever he goes. Messi may be able to make the odd Publix trip, but he'll never be able to live like a normal person.
The small doses, though, are probably a nice change of pace for a man who has been an icon all over the world for as long as he can probably remember.
“From the very beginning ever since I arrived the welcome was impressive," Messi said. "It’s a city with many Latinos and that’s why everything is a bit easier. Latino people are close, they show their emotions all the time, they show their sentiments and their care, and proximity. That’s the most important thing. It’s very healthy, and helps acclimate yourself.
“People in this city and this club have made it easy for us," he added. "The fans, the people that I meet every day on the streets in the city we are now, it’s a spectacular city, and that’s why I can live with happiness."
Getty ImagesFeeling loved again after a rough time in Paris
It was widely reported and has been admitted as fact: Messi was not happy in Paris.
His relationship with the club and its fans was always complicated. By the end, things had grown somewhat toxic as Messi and Paris Saint-Germain failed to live up to their own lofty expectations by winning the Champions League.
“I came here in Miami looking for this, to be able to enjoy again as I was doing all my career after two complicated years [with PSG]," he told . "And luckily, me and my family are in the place where we are happy, not only for football, but for day-to-day life also.”
He harped on that point further in his press conference later on Thursday, adding: “Me going to Paris wasn’t something I wanted. I didn’t want to leave Barcelona and that was from one day to another. I had to get adjusted to a completely different place from where I had been all my life, both from the city standpoint and sporting standpoint, and it was hard. It’s the complete opposite of what’s happening now, thank God.”
GettyIntroduction to team-mates
Inter Miami's players all had a similar reaction from the moment they realized what had happened: 'how the hell did sneak into the WhatsApp group?!'
That, somehow, happened in the hours leading up to his unveiling. Messi, the most famous footballer on the planet, had entered the team group chat under the radar.
It was in that group chat that striker Leonardo Campana asked for any extra tickets to the event. A new number soon popped up saying he'd handle it. It was Messi.
"I didn't even know whether Messi was in the group chat yet," said DeAndre Yedlin, "But he popped up straightway and said, 'How many do you need though?'. Straightaway like that.
"From there I was just like 'Woah!' You know what I mean? Like straight off the bat, they maybe know each other for three days or something. But to show that generosity is a great fresh example of how he (Messi) is."
In the weeks since, Messi has worked hard to endear himself to his team-mates. He's seemingly developed quite a bond with Josef Martinez, a player he's battled with in CONMEBOL when facing Venezuela. Robert Taylor, a Finnish international who was once languishing in England's lower leagues, is now his go-to running mate. When Ian Fray suffered another catastrophic ACL injury, Messi paid tribute to him, despite knowing him for just a matter of days. And when Philadelphia Union enforcer Jose Martinez took out Noah Allen late in Inter Miami's win, it was Messi who was immediately in his face to defend his new colleague.
He, of course, already has a relationship with the likes of Alba and Busquets, but Messi has seemingly worked hard to make sure to develop a bond even with his lesser-known team-mates.
So, when Inter Miami showed up to the field all wearing new club-branded headphones, it was easy to figure out where they'd come from.
“You have to ask Messi," Yedlin said. "Messi got them for the team. I don’t know if he bought them, but he gave everyone headphones."