Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami club arrives in NJ for Red Bulls match
Lionel Messi has appeared to arrive in New Jersey.
And when Inter Miami’s bus drove toward their hotel Thursday evening, a group of fans lined the street as Messi mania — and seemingly the man himself — arrived ahead of Saturday’s MLS game against the Red Bulls in Harrison, N.J., shouting and cheering as the bus appeared to follow a police car.
While it is unclear if Messi was on the bus, fans were clamoring for the star.
Messi’s game against the Red Bulls — and his presence on a soccer pitch near New York City — made Aug. 26 a key date on the MLS schedule after the 36-year-old parted ways with Paris Saint-Germain after two seasons.
It’ll mark the confluence of soccer’s marquee name playing near the marquee stage — and backdrop — for any sport, with different stakes than September 2022, when Argentina defeated Jamaica, 3-0, behind Messi’s two goals in a World Cup tune-up at Red Bull Arena.
Messi’s MLS introduction has unfolded as smoothly as Inter Miami could’ve desired.
Inter Miami hasn’t lost since Messi arrived, going unbeaten through eight matches, and he’s scored 10 goals while adding three assists.
His MLS legend began in his team debut against Cruz Azul, when Messi scored a game-winning free kick goal to create a scene that MLS commissioner Don Garber described to The Post’s Brian Lewis as “quite a moment.”
It only continued to grow from there.
Messi sparked a wild comeback over FC Dallas, helped Inter Miami win the Leagues Cup and then assisted — while also scoring in penalty kicks — to help his new team advance to the Open Cup finals.
He also attracted attendance from celebrities such as Derek Jeter and Tony Romo, to Kim Kardashian and LeBron James.
He mixed in Marvel-themed celebrations, complimented the foundation of MLS soccer and its room for future growth and became the face of a league he wasn’t even associated with three months ago.
Messi mania now had another reason — and a concrete date, with MLS standings on the line — to travel to New York City and Harrison, N.J.’s Red Bull Arena.
The Red Bulls planned to increase security by 25 percent, general manager Marc de Grandpré told The Post’s Christian Arnold, with around 20,000 fans expected to attend the match — and ticket prices continuing to rise.
“We know fans love to jump on the field and get close to Messi sometimes and we’ve seen it before,” de Grandpré said. “We’re going to try to mitigate that by adding a lot of folks around the pitch so we keep everyone secure.”
Inter Miami’s match against the Red Bulls gets underway on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
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