Fort Lauderdale: Lionel Messi walked out from behind a curtain, took a few steps along a rain-slicked runaway set up over the field at Inter Miami's stadium and headed toward David Beckham for a big hug. His journey was complete. Inter Miami’s wait was over. At long last, Messi has arrived.


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Inter Miami — after years of plotting, pleading and hoping — introduced arguably the game's biggest star on Sunday night, presenting their new franchise player with his pink No. 10 jersey that millions of people will be buying over the coming weeks and months.


“I’m sure we’re going to have many wonderful experiences,” Messi told the crowd.


WATCH Lionel Messi’s glittering presentation ceremony in Miami…



Messi, a World Cup champion for Argentina and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best player in a given year, is joining a club that has the fewest points in MLS and is mired in an 11-match winless streak. Inter Miami opened the season with two wins and has gone 3-14-3 since. It has 12 MLS matches left this season, and is 12 points out of a playoff spot — so it’s going to take a ton of wins just to have a chance.


The club previously announced that Messi’s deal will be for 2 1/2 seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually — putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone. There are other factors, the value of which isn’t known. “This ought to be fun. ... This journey here in Miami has been an epic one,” Garber said.


Messi’s greatness is not in question; he led Argentina to the World Cup this past December and is still generally considered one of the very best goalscorers in the world — if not the best. That said, not everyone believes Messi coming to MLS will be a cakewalk, even for a legend.