HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - There was a special message for soccer superstar Lionel Messi with a stunning display on Adidas-branded vehicles at the PortMiami.
The vehicles that entered the port between South Pointe Park and Fisher Island on Wednesday included a cargo ship, cigarette boats and helicopter decked out in black and pink, the colors of Inter Miami CF.
The festive display is the latest in a week of celebrations, but more Messi madness is taking place in South Pointe Park in Miami Beach, Wednesday afternoon.
The free community event at the park featured pickup soccer, barbecue, music and merchandise, beginning at 5 p.m.
“Messi is my favorite player,” said Alex Derenzis, an attendee. “I want him to do well, you know, I think it important, but also just maybe get people more interested in soccer, you know, this country because I know it’s not, you know, huge, yeah, but it will be awesome to see a change and shift in that.”
The Messi celebration will continue throughout the week with local community hype and unique merchandise drops.
“It’s the best player in history, pretty much coming to play,” said Estevan De La Rosa, an attendee. “I have been living in Miami for so long, waiting for a team to be here, and now we have Messi here. How amazing is that?”
“He is the reason, I fell in love with the sport,” said a Messi fan, a soccer player on the field.
” He is my favorite soccer player in the world,” said Roman Fernandez, a Messi fan.
Earlier Wednesday, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood stepped into the next era of Messi’s partnership with the official launch of the new Messi chicken sandwich in Hollywood.
“The greatest of all time, Lionel Messi,” said the host of the event. “Are you excited for that?”
As fans flocked to the Hard Rock, the President of Food and Beverage, Alex Becker, prepared the special tasting for him.
“We did the tasting for him and the family. They loved it so much, they came back for a second,” said Becker.
The new sandwich is the soccer legend’s favorite Argentinean dish growing up, the new “Milanese style” chicken sandwich.
“It’s two chicken cutlets, seasoned, a little bit of herb, aioli, arugula, pine ripped tomatoes and an artisan bun,” said Becker.
The celebrations come just days after foodies and sports fans welcomed Messi at the player’s Inter Miami introduction at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
“We came up with the idea, you know, our dream with this club is always to bring the greatest players in,” said David Beckham, one of Inter Miami’s owners. “As owners of a sports team, I think you always want to bring the greatest players. Does it always happen? No! For us, it’s happened.”
Lionel Messi will make his Inter Miami debut on Friday night at a game against Mexico’s Cruz Azul.
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