Lionel Messi, in traditional Messi fashion, scored. However, this goal had the honor of ushering in Miami's Nu Stadium on a night celebrating Sir David Beckham's night. The launch party Inter Miami hosted for their new home – an entertaining 2-2 draw with Austin FC – was 38-year-old Beckham's reward for his long and difficult thirteen-year journey to first bring an MLS franchise to Miami.
Unafraid to share the spotlight, Beckham went on to say on this momentous night:
"Today I stand in our new home. We are the champions of MLS. We have the best player to ever play the game playing in Miami."
Right on cue, Messi rose to his feet to receive the applause. Next to Miami International Airport, Nu Stadium can house more than 25,000 football fans. And the fans got their money's worth as Messi, after scoring the first goal at Nu Stadium, nearly broke the 2-2 log jam in the 90th minute. However, his free kick hit the crossbar. Even though Guilherme Biro scored the first official goal at Nu Stadium, Miami fans will only remember their hero, Lionel Messi, scoring the first-ever goal for the home team. In March, Messi scored his 900th goal.
Perhaps even more special is that, at 38, Messi is still playing at an elite level for Miami. Football fans worldwide are hoping that Messi will make one more World Cup appearance this summer, which experts believe might be his last. Even though Messi continues to practice and is active with Argentina's national team, according to football insiders like Bettingtop10 NZ, he is taking it "day by day" about whether he will commit to the 2026 World Cup games in Canada and the United States.
Apparently, Messi's final decision will come down to how healthy he is heading into the summer. Still, Argentina's head coach, Lionel Scaloni, has stated that there is an open roster spot for Messi should he wish to take it. In 2022, Argentina, led by Messi, won the FIFA World Cup.