Messi speaks publicly for 1st time since joining Inter Miami

Washington, The Gulf Observer: Fans line up outside Inter Miami’s practice facility to watch Lionel Messi’s car drive away after training sessions. Players from opposing teams wait after matches to get his signature or just a simple handshake. His No. 10 jersey is everywhere in South Florida.

“From the beginning, from my arrival, it’s been an impressive welcome that we’ve received,” Messi said through an interpreter. He spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since announcing on June 7 that he’d join Inter Miami of the MLS.

The 36-year-old said he’s still adapting to his new surroundings. His family is in a temporary place in South Florida while they search for a permanent home. His three sons will start school soon.

He’s still getting used to “hot and humid” Florida, but overall, the transition has been “much easier than expected” compared to his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, where he played the past two years.

Since Messi’s announcement, Inter Miami hired former Barcelona and Argentina national team coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino and signed former Barcelona captain Serio Busquets and veteran defender Jordi Alba.

The club’s rise since has been meteoric.

Messi has scored nine goals in six matches with his new club, which is in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference with a record of 5-14-3. Now on a six-match winning streak, Inter Miami will compete for its first title Saturday against Nashville in the Leagues Cup final.

Following the path of some of the game’s biggest names who have come to the U.S. toward the end of their careers — Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Thierry Henry and Beckham himself — Messi has certainly vaulted American soccer onto a global stage.

He’s a four-time Champions League winner with 10 La Liga titles. His 129 goals in the top club competition are second to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 140.