Lionel Messi Inter Miami Debut: Ticket Prices Skyrocket To Rs 90 Lakhs, But Will Argentine Play vs Cruz Azul?

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Lionel Messi is likely to make his much-awaited debut for Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami this week when he takes the field for a preseason friendly match against Mexican club Cruz Azul on Friday (July 21).

Messi's arrival to Miami was officially confirmed last week when the Argentine World Cup winner was unveiled by the team, and since then the ticket prices for Inter Miami's next match although a preseason friendly has reportedly skyrocketed to as much as USD110,000 (approximately Rs 90 lakh).

According to a report from CNN, much-anticipated match on July 21 has seen tickets being resold for as much as USD110,000 (approximately Rs 90 lakh), but the tickets start an affordable average price of USD487 (Rs 40,000).

The report also added that the Argentine superstar and football fans are even travelling hundreds of miles to witness the match. However, the co-owner of Inter Miami, David Beckham may have bad news for fans that have spent a lot of money on tickets for the event.

Will Messi Make Inter Miami Debut on July 21?

While Messi had hinted that he may play in the upcoming friendly, Beckham has told ESPN Argentina, that the upcoming match against Cruz Axul may be too early for Messi.

"We don't know if Leo is going to play the game or if he will have minutes, because I think that, after all, he needs to be ready," Beckham said. "We have to protect him and make sure that he is ready, because he has been on vacation and has just arrived in Miami. He has trained and he looks good."

Beckham, however, feels the call to play is left to manager Tata Martino and Messi himself, saying: "I think Lio and Tata [Martino] will decide when and if he plays on Friday, but the atmosphere here will be amazing and hopefully we can get the win."

When and How to watch Inter Miami vs Cruz Azul match?

The match will be held at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and will kick off at 8 PM Local Time on Friday (July 21). But due to time difference, the match will kick off at 5:30 AM IST on Saturday (July 22) in India.

The Inter Miami vs Cruz Azul match can be streamed using AppleTV with the MLS Season Pass, which can be used to watch the whole season of Major League Soccer action.