Lionel Messi (39, Inter Miami) wrote another piece of history. The stage was Inter Miami's newly opened $1 billion project, and the scorer of its first goal was also Messi.
The Sun of the U.K. reported on the 6th (Korea time), "Lionel Messi scored the first goal in Inter Miami's new home stadium, and David Beckham's 13-year dream became reality."
Inter Miami CF played the opening match against Austin FC at their new home, DRV PNK Stadium. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Inter Miami avoided defeat with Luis Suárez's equalizer late in the second half.
The new venue is more than just a stadium. The total project cost reaches about $1 billion (about 1.512 trillion won). The stadium construction cost alone is about $350 million. This is the massive "Miami Freedom Park" project that includes a 26,700-seat stadium, a 5,000-space parking lot, a 750-room hotel, retail facilities, a park, and local soccer fields.
Co-owner David Beckham appeared before fans before the match. He said, "We believed in Miami. And Miami believed in us. Thirteen years ago we had no name, no fans, no stadium. Now we are MLS champions and the world's best player is playing in Miami."
Beckham actually used the club founding rights included in his 2013 entry into Major League Soccer to create Inter Miami. At the time he secured club equity for just $25 million (about 37.8 billion won), and he pushed for construction of the new stadium over the following 13 years.
As expected, the scorer of the first goal was Messi. However, it was not the very first goal in the stadium's history. In the sixth minute of the first half, Gílherme Viana headed in Austin's opener, leaving the first goal on Nu Stadium's record.
Messi responded immediately. The east stand of Inter Miami's new home was even named the "Messi Stand." And he scored Inter Miami's first goal in the club's history at the stadium dedicated to him.
Stars were also in full attendance at the stadium that day. Beckham's wife, Victoria Beckham, and sons Cruz and Romeo were present. Ronaldo, who was a teammate of Beckham's at Real Madrid, also watched the match from the stands.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also visited the stadium. Before the match he left a congratulatory message for Beckham and the club owners on social media. The state of Florida provided about $8 million in public funds for road construction around the stadium.
The plan that began in Beckham's mind 13 years ago finally became reality. At the same time, the name that first received the spotlight was again Messi.
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