FORT LAUDERDALE
\nIt rained on his parade, but Lionel Messi greeted his new Inter Miami fans and was hailed by the club\u2019s owner as \u201cAmerica\u2019s number 10\u201d at a damp but celebratory unveiling event on Sunday.
\nMiami\u2019s 20,000 capacity stadium was close to full despite a huge thunder storm just before the event to celebrate the arrival of the Argentine World Cup winner was due to begin.
\nA massive tropical downpour forced organizers to delay the start of \u201cThe Unveil\u201d as fans took cover or waited out the rain in their cars.
\nThe event started around two hours later than originally scheduled with wet but delighted fans chanting Messi\u2019s name as the lights dimmed on the venue.
\nThe club\u2019s co-owner David Beckham opened the ceremony saying Messi\u2019s arrival was a \u201cdream come true\u201d.
\n\u201cLeo, we are so proud that you have chosen our club for the next stage in your career,\u201d said the former Manchester United player whose move to MLS\u2019s Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 was the league\u2019s previous biggest arrival.
\n\u201cWelcome to our family Leo,\u201d Beckham added in Spanish, to roars from the crowd.
\nMiami\u2019s majority owner Jorge Mas then whipped the crowd up with his own bilingual speech.
\n\u201cTonight is a gift and celebration to the city that opened its arms to my family,\u201d said the Cuban-American businessman.
\n\u201cTonight we are doing this in the rain. This is holy water!\u201d he added.
\n\u201cThis is our moment! Our moment to change the football landscape in this country,\u201d he added, before introducing Messi as \u201cYour new number 10, America\u2019s number 10\u201d.
\nMessi, who arrived in Miami on Tuesday with his family and caused a viral sensation after being photographed shopping with them in a local supermarket, thanked the supporters.
\n\u201cThank you very much to all the people for supporting me and giving me this love. I am very happy to be here in Miami,\u201d he said. \u201cI really want to start training, to compete, I have the same desire that I always had to compete, to want to win, to help the club continue to grow.
\n\u201cI am very happy to have chosen to come to play in this city with my family, to choose this project and I have no doubt that we are going to enjoy it a lot, we are going to have a good time and very good things are going to happen,\u201d he said.
\nInter Miami, the bottom club in Major League Soccer, confirmed on Saturday that the seven-times Ballon d\u2019Or winner had signed a deal that will keep him with the club until 2025.
\nThe former Barcelona great opted to join Miami after his contract with French club Paris Saint-Germain expired last month.
\nHis former Barcelona team-mate, Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, was also presented to the crowd after completing his move.
\nMajor League Soccer commissioner Don Garber praised Mas for his determined pursuit of Messi for the club which is in only its fourth season.
\n\u201cLionel Messi was on his radar from the very beginning. I have to say, when he would say that many years ago, I didn\u2019t think that he would be able to deliver it,\u201d Garber told reporters.
\n\u201cBut here 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 time.\u201d
\nHe was scheduled to hold a press conference on Monday but the club said Sunday that had been postponed. No explanation for the decision was given.
\nMessi could make his debut for the club on Friday against Mexico team Cruz Azul in the new Leagues Cup, which features teams from both MLS and Mexico\u2019s Liga MX.
\nHowever on Saturday, the team\u2019s new Argentine coach Gerardo Martino urged \u201cpatience\u201d after watching his side\u2019s winless streak extend to 11 games.
\n\u201cWe look to the future with hope (given) that the best player in the world will play for our team, but also with the patience that we have to have so that he can get in good physical shape and can play at the right moment,\u201d he said.
\nLatin music stars Camilo and Ozuna were set to entertain the crowd at the DRV PNK Stadium, about an hour\u2019s drive north of downtown Miami.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FORT LAUDERDALE It rained on his parade, but Lionel Messi greeted his new Inter Miami fans and was hailed by the club\u2019s owner as \u201cAmerica\u2019s number 10\u201d at a damp but celebratory unveiling event on Sunday. Miami\u2019s 20,000 capacity stadium was close to full despite a huge thunder storm just before the event to celebrate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-344026","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n