Lionel Messi made history only a few days ago when he won his record 8th Ballon d’Or award. Messi got a guard of honour before training from his Inter Miami teammates on the very next day of the Ballon d’Or gala. He then visited the academy where he met the academy kids. He showed them the Ballon d’Or and clicked pictures with the kids. Miami are also set to hold a friendly with New York City FC at DRV PNK stadium. They will also hold a pre-game programme to celebrate Messi’s achievement.
Lionel Messi won his record 8th Ballon d’Or on 30th October. He joined Inter Miami after leaving PSG this summer. Even though the last two seasons at PSG weren’t the best of his career, he peaked as he led Argentina to their third World Cup win last year. It was the very first World Cup win of his senior career. His contribution to the win was immense. This led to his inevitable 8th Ballon d’Or win. This also turned out to be his last feat in Europe.
Even so, Messi might have moved to the United States, but he still received a grand welcome at Inter Miami. The Argentina captain did not extend his stay in Paris after the Ballon d’Or gala. He flew out to Miami on the same night and was there to train with his teammates the very next morning. He received a guard of honour from his teammates at the club before training. The felicitations did not end there as Messi was scheduled to visit the Inter Miami academy as well.
Lionel Messi reached the academy with his new Ballon d’Or in hand. He personally met with all the academy kids and shared his amazing achievement with them. He also took pictures with them all and the Golden ball. It was a sweet treat for the kids who will find inspiration in Messi and the award. Miami released a video of Messi’s visit on their social media account with the caption, “Inspiring the next generation. A warm welcome for Leo Messi. This is the #FreedomToDream.”
The celebrations are set to continue as Miami have announced a friendly match against New York City FC this weekend. The match is set to be held at their home ground, the DRV PNK Stadium. Inter Miami’s MLS journey ended as they kept dropping points in Messi’s absence due to injury. As a result, there was set to be a big gap until Miami would play any match at their home. As a result, there were doubts about the Ballon d’Or presentation at the home ground.
However, it seems that the problem has been solved with this weekend’s friendly game. Miami have announced that there will be a celebration programme before the match to honour Messi’s amazing achievement. Messi will head out for his international duties after that. Argentina will face Uruguay on the 17th of November. Then they will fly to Brazil for their second match on the 22nd of November. Miami will play a few more friendlies after that before the MLS 2024 season starts next year.
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