‘Messi mania’ sweeps Miami

FORT LAUDERDALE (AFP) — Lionel Messi's hopes of enjoying a quieter life in Florida for the final years of his career may prove to be wishful thinking with the Argentine star already lined up for a whole series of publicity events.

Messi will take part in a glitzy presentation at the club's stadium on Sunday which has been branded "The Unveil" with the club promising musical entertainment for the expected 18,000 crowd.

The event will be broadcast on Apple TV and parts of it are sure to be syndicated to other television networks.

Then the following day, Inter Miami announced a "major press conference" with Messi expected to attend along with the club's owners, probably including co-owner David Beckham.

Tuesday is earmarked to be Messi's first full training session with his new team-mates but if he thought that would simply be a case of shaking hands and getting back on the field, he may be in for a surprise.

While the World Cup winner is used to practicing behind closed doors, this session will be open — for part of the session — to the media with television cameras trained on the 36-year-old's every move.

When announcing his intention to join Miami last month, Messi gave several reasons why he had turned down other options but stated the hope for a calmer life was one of them.

"I'm also at a point where I want to get out of the spotlight a bit, to think more about my family," he said.

On top of all those club commitments, the shy, introverted Messi is certain to be encouraged to give time for MLS's broadcast partner, Apple TV, who are hoping that the Argentine will help boost subscriptions to their "MLS Season Pass" product.

Messi arrived in Miami on Tuesday, flying in on a private jet with his family and sources said that he had visited the team's training facility early on Wednesday.

Inter Miami's media sessions have tended to attract around a dozen reporters but there were at least five-times that amount on Wednesday.