The arrival of Lionel Messi is already a major milestone in the history of Inter Miami and the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.
The Argentine star announced this week that he will play for the club, which is owned by former English player David Beckham and the Mas brothers, Jorge and José.
Messi is not arriving at the club’s best sporting moment, as they currently occupy the last position among the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference of the MLS. Although the team is far from the playoffs, there are no major risks because the league does not have relegation.
With the signing of the Argentine national team superstar, who won the 2022 World Cup, Inter Miami seeks to break the routine and enter the fight for the coveted MLS trophy.
And from now on, they will do so under the watchful eyes of millions of Messi fans around the globe.
Here are five curiosities about the club where Messi will be playing.
1. The club is younger than Messi’s two sons
Inter Miami FC is one of the newest clubs in the MLS: it was founded in January 2018.
Messi’s youngest son, Ciro, was born in March of the same year. The firstborn, Thiago, was born in 2012, and Mateo, in 2015.
The club’s record came after years of negotiations between Beckham and potential investors — including the Mas brothers, well-known Miami businessmen.
But there was still a long way to go before Inter Miami played its first game. The team had to be built and, not least, its stadium too.
It was only on March 1, 2020 that the club entered the field to play its first match.
And he didn’t do it with the right foot: a goal by the Mexican Carlos Vela spoiled the debut of the new club and gave victory to Los Angeles (LAFC) at the Banc of California stadium.
After four more defeats and a four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the pink team finally won their first victory, in August 2020, by beating Orlando City 3-2.
2. Provisional stadium
That win marked Inter Miami’s debut at home.
The club’s ground is much more modest than the Camp Nou in Barcelona or the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Located in Fort Lauderdale, about 40 kilometers north of Miami, the DRV PNK Stadium has a capacity of 18,000 spectators and was built on the site of the extinct Fort Lauderdale Strikers field.
The “DRV” refers to “drive”, corresponding to the market segment of a company sponsoring the team; and PNK refers to “pink”, the color of the company’s campaign against breast cancer.
This is also the color of Inter Miami’s home shirt.
But DRV PNK is a provisional headquarters, as the club is building a new stadium, Miami Freedom Park, in the city of Miami.
The stadium will have a capacity of 25,000, will incorporate the latest technological advances and plans to open its doors for the 2025 MLS season.
3. The pink color
The color pink, like that of Inter Miami, was until recently marginalized in the world of football. Why did the American club choose her?
“If there’s a city in the world that can own pink, it’s Miami,” says creative director Kimou Meyer, who designed the team crest, in a promotional video.
Pink is the most striking color at sunrise on the beach in Miami Beach and is also one of the characteristic pastel tones of the Art Deco style, to which the city’s most significant architectural heritage belongs.
That is why Beckham, executives and creatives considered that this was the color that best represented Inter Miami, as well as a brand of differentiation in relation to most teams in the USA and the world.
4. Egrets and Beckham on the shield
O escudo do Inter Miami inclui duas garças brancas com as costas juntas. Os pés das duas unidos formam o M de Miami.
“Criamos um time do nada. O novo escudo foi algo importante para mim”, reflete Beckham em um vídeo no site oficial do clube.
Ron Magill, diretor de comunicação do Zoológico de Miami, explica que as garças são um símbolo da cidade porque permaneceram ali apesar da forte urbanização — e consequente desmatamento — no século 20.
Ele garante que o caráter dessas aves se assemelha ao dos migrantes de diferentes culturas que construíram a cidade em busca de um futuro melhor.
“Se você as vê caçando, percebe que, quando elas têm a menor oportunidade, aproveitam-se disso.”
O sol parcialmente eclipsado entre as cabeças das garças representa a dedicação do povo de Miami de trabalhar dia e noite para realizar seus sonhos.
E os sete raios que emanam do sol estrela não são coincidência: representam o número sete que Beckham usou durante a maior parte de sua carreira como jogador de futebol.
5. The unusual dispute with Inter Milan
Until recently, two clubs came to the mind of Brazilian fans when they heard the name Inter: Internacional de Porto Alegre or Inter de Milan — the team that this Saturday (10/6) will play in the Champions League final against Manchester City.
Inter Milan officials were not happy to have another Inter in the US and in 2020 filed a lawsuit against the newly founded Miami club. This was accused of infringing trademark rights and causing confusion among fans.
Inter Miami argued that many clubs around the world define themselves as “athletic”, “real”, “united” or “city” – with none of them claiming exclusivity.
The legal dispute between the two clubs lasted for some time, until in February 2021 both parties reached an amicable agreement.
With that, Inter Miami was able to continue using its name.
And now, with Messi in the team, he is in a better position to face Inter Milan – if not on the pitch, at least in terms of popularity and shirt sales.