FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Friday is a big day for South Florida. Lionel Messi is expected to make his first game day debut with Inter Miami on Friday night.
Hours before game day, the fans started showing up, like the Silva family from Mexico.
They were trying to snag some game-day gear before watching Messi at DRV PNK Stadium. In Spanish, the eldest son said, “Messi is going to win! Inter Miami is going to win, and they are going to win by a lot!”
Johnny Erarte from Myrtle Beach said his nephew calls Messi’The Goat,’ or The Greatest of All Time.
“He hopes to play like Messi one day,” shared Johnny. “And I said if I get a chance to meet him and take a picture with him, I’ll send it to him.”
Justin Badilla is from Costa Rica and has played soccer his whole life. Now he’s excited to watch number 10 play, “How’s he going to make the goals? It’s always a surprise. Messi is the best!”
And the same excitement is felt by those who have spent the last two years cheering on Inter Miami. Jermaine Scott is the co-founder of Black Herons United, an independent support group of the team, who also shares the pride of the Caribbean culture for the game.
They are trying to make the league one of the most inclusive, and they think Messi can help be a part of that, “It’s going to be massive, it’s going to be massive. Everyone in the group chat is like are we ready for this, are we ready for this? And to be honest, I don’t think anyone is ready for this.”
Scott continued, “So I think we are bracing ourselves for the impact that’s going to happen because it’s coming and coming quickly. But I think we are also ready for members to come, more exposure to kind of get our message out.”
That message has made its way all the way to Miguel Angel Ardon, who is from Honduras. In Spanish, he said, “We are going to be winners here!”
His family members can’t wait to sit in the stadium and see one of their own start a legacy. Silvia, one of Miguel’s relatives, shared in Spanish, “We are here in the United States, and we can say ‘Go Messi! Go, Messi,’ and this makes us very happy! It elevates us, and it makes us really happy.”
For long-time fans of the game, of the player, and of the league, Friday is a day many, including Andrea Ordones, will never forget, “I think it’s the beginning of something good, of something big.”
