Watch: Lionel Messi Scores Last-Minute Winner On MLS Debut For Inter Miami After Meeting NBA Legend LeBron James

On his debut for Inter Miami, Messi once again showed why he is the most sought-after footballer in the world even if he is at the twilight of his career. The free kick in the 94th minute was a testtimony to his high fitness standards.

Lionel Messi hits the winner for Inter Miami. (Image Source: AP)

Lionel Messi made a memorable debut for Inter Miami, not disappointing the fans as he scored a winner in the last few minutes of the Leagues Cup match vs Cruz Arul. Inter Miam won the match 2-1, all thanks to Messi's screamer of a goal in the 94th minute. The fans at the stadium could not control their emotions as the legendary Argentine showed why he is still a force to reckon with at this age. It was a stunning free kick from close to 25 yards that showed the class of Messi. His lef foot hit the ball into the upper left corner of the net as Messi tricked four defenders of Cruz Azul to score the winner.

Watch Messi score the winner for Inter Miami here:

Pure class from the #Messi_ ___ pic.twitter.com/vXtmv6TopW — JD _ (@j2110_) July 22, 2023

Ahead of this historic match in which Messi was going to make his debut, the World Cup winner met NBA legend LeBron James. The two GOATs did not just shake hand but hugged each other for a long time, showing the mutual respect. When the rumours of Messi going to America were high, LeBron had shown his excitement of watching play there. Like Messi, LeBron had too moved to Miami in 2010, joining the Heat, for who he has won two NBA titles.

There 21,000 fans in attendance and none left their seats even during the half-time as Messi had taken to the field to do som drills. When he eventually came in as substitute in the second half, replacing midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, all the fans stood up and recorded this precious moment. Who knew that an even better moment was to come soon, in form of a Messi goal.

Messi has signed a 2.5 year contract with Inter Miami for something between $50 million and $60 million annually. He is set to get $1 million per match. Some fans paid well over $1,000 for tickets to Friday's match, though the price on the resale market was dropping considerably in the hours before game time.