A hamburger and drink combination called the Lionel Messi. A huge sketch of the football star’s smiling face on a restaurant wall beside a viral meme from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. A beer with a pink label matching the colour of the Inter Miami jersey he will wear.
Wherever you turn in Miami these days, something reminds you of the arrival of the Argentine legend.
There is no hiding the euphoria generated by Messi in Miami as he begins the new Major League Soccer phase of his career in one of the most Latino cities in the United States. But his arrival is also bringing a note of sadness as fans know that at age 36 he is nearing the end of his career.
More than 100,000 Argentines live in Miami, which will host World Cup matches in 2026.
“I love that he’s in Miami because my children will be able to experience him like I experienced (fellow Argentina football star Diego) Maradona,” said Maximiliano Alvarez, one of the owners of the Fiorito restaurant, where a wall has a giant mural of Messi. “It also makes me sad, nostalgic, because it looks like it is the beginning of his retirement.”
On the walls of another restaurant called Kao Bar & Grill, in the Hallandale Beach area north of Miami Beach, Messi’s meme ”¡Andá pa’ alla bobo!” “Go over there, fool!” is immortalised along with a giant drawing of the star.
Angry after Argentina’s heated victory over the Netherlands in the quarter finals of the 2022 World Cup, Messi said those words to a Dutch player who was passing by while he was being interviewed.
Messi’s arrival has also impacted breweries like Prison Pals Brewing Co., which sells a beer bearing Messi’s number 10. The can is painted pink with black lettering, a replica of Inter Miami’s colours.
The Argentine grill The Knife offers a Messi mojito and the Hard Rock Cafe is launching a new “Messi Chicken Sandwich” made from the star’s favourite “milanesas.” Messi t-shirts, pants, sweatshirts with a hood and water bottles will also be for sale.
Near Miami Beach, at the Café Ragazzi of Argentine-Venezuelan singer-songwriter Ricardo Montaner, they are welcoming his return. Messi was there on vacation after he won the America’s Cup with Argentina in 2021. The star caused an uproar in the restaurant as fans came to greet him. Now they want to offer the legend more privacy and are thinking of putting up curtains.
Emiliano Valdés, the café’s general manager, said: “He is revolutionising the entire city,” and that Miami is welcoming Messi “with open arms.”