Lionel Messi’s unveiling is set for July 16 as Inter Miami invites the media to ‘major event’

Inter Miami have appeared to confirm Lionel Messi’s arrival for July 16, with the club teasing a ‘major unveiling event’ that night to reporters.

The welcoming of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is set for 8pm ET, and will include ‘exciting entertainment, speeches on the pitch and more’ according to the club. 

Messi will likely be unveiled alongside former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets, who has also agreed to join Miami.

The club is also close to wrapping up a deal for longtime Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba, with the acquisition of the 34-year-old essentially a done deal according to the Miami Herald.

And Miami may not be done adding big names to its roster, with the club reportedly trying to convince Eden Hazard to join as well, according to Relevo.

Lionel Messi is set to be unveiled on July 16, a week from this Sunday, in Miami

And Sergio Busquets, who has agreed to join the club as well, could also be unveiled

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Since Messi announced his intentions to join Miami last month, the club has been fairly quiet.

Owner Jorge Mas confirmed that the club was hoping for the playmaker to debut on July 21 vs. Mexican side Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.

Miami also wished him a happy 36th birthday late last month.

However, there has yet to be an official announcement concerning his impending arrival. 

Even with Messi not Stateside yet, though, the hype surrounding his arrival is palpable.

In the 24 hours following his decision to join Major League Soccer, Inter Miami gained more than 5million Instagram followers – from roughly 1m to 6.1m. 

The windows of adidas’ flagship store in New York are filled with mock-ups of Lionel Messi

Their follower count is now at 9m.

And in New York, more than 1,000 miles away from Messi’s new Florida home, the windows of Adidas’ flagship SoHo store are filled with mock-ups of the Argentine star. 

In pictures taken by DailyMail.com, the sportswear giant’s Broadway venue is covered in pictures of Messi wearing his new Inter Miami strip.

While Miami will be thrilled to welcome Messi and Busquets, they’ll nonetheless face a massive battle to even make the postseason.

Through 20 games, the club has just 17 points – the worst mark in the Eastern Conference, which currently leaves them nine points adrift of the last playoff spot.

Assuming he makes his debut when expected, Messi will have just 12 MLS games to turn Miami’s season around.

With the help of Busquets, newly-appointed head coach Tata Martino and likely Alba too, you certainly wouldn’t put a postseason berth beyond him.

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