Lionel Messi started on the bench as the Stars came out for Friday’s expected debut for his new club Inter Miami against Mexican side Cruz Azul.
Argentine superstar Messi and his former Barcelona teammate, Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, who recently joined the Major League Soccer club, were both named as substitutes for the League Cup match.
World Cup winner and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi became the biggest signing in MLS history when he joined Miami after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired in June.
LeBron James, Kim Kardashian and Serena Williams were among the stars in the sold-out crowd of 20,000, with many fans decked out in replica pink Miami shirts with Messi’s name and the number 10 on the back.
NBA star James now stars for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he won two NBA championships with the Miami Heat club and hugged Messi before the game.
Miami coach Gerardo Martino, who coached Messi with Barcelona and the Argentina national team, suggested the star may not be ready to play a full game after only returning to training this week following a family holiday.
It was disappointing for the fans not to see Messi from the start, with Martino not even able to guarantee that the star would be in the game.
“We’ll see, it depends a little bit on how the match is, the conditions, we’ve talked about it, we’ve trained, we’ll find the best form for them,” he said shortly before the contest.
It was clear that not only were the fans planning to see Messi from the start, however, fireworks erupted above the grandstands when the referee blew the whistle to start the contest.
Miami co-owner David Beckham urged fans to be patient with Messi and Biscuits as they settle into their new home and club.
“Leo will still need, no matter how good he is, no matter how tall he is, he and Sergio need time to adapt,” the Englishman said.
Miami is currently bottom of MLS, now taking a month off while teams compete in the Leagues Cup tournament, which features all the top-flight clubs from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.
