Lionel Messi's Inter Miami presentation: Date, time and more details revealed as the Qatar World Cup winner closes in on MLS move

A date and time has been fixed for Lionel Messi'ss much-anticipated presentation for MLS club Inter Miami. The Argentina captain will be presented as a player of the MLS club on July 16, 7:30 pm ET, according to ESPN correspondent Moil Lorens.

Messi might even be presented alongside his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets. Much like the Argentine, the Spaniard also joins the MLS club as a free agent. He leaves Barcelona after almost 15 glittering with the La Liga giants.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, makes the move after the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract on June 30. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner spent two seasons in the French capital.

While Messi was heavily linked with a fairytale return to Barcelona, a move never came to realization. The 36-year-old leaves European football to embark on a new journey at the MLS.

He becomes perhaps the most high-profile player in the history of US Soccer. While names like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Andrea Pirlo, David Beckham, David Villa, and more have played in the MLS before, Messi could take the league's popularity through the roof.

Apart from Messi and Busquets, Inter Miami have also been linked with Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Dani Carvajal, Eden Hazard, and other household names of European football.

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Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas spoke about signing Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has been a stalwart of world and European football since the start of his career. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time. Hence, pulling off his signing marked a sensational deal for Inter Miami.

The process, however, took time. The club's billionaire co-owner, Jorge Mas, detailed how the MLS side have been eyeing up Messi for a while. Mas told El Pais on the subject:

"I spent three years on it, a year and a half very intensely. There were many conversations with (Messi's father and agent) Jorge. David (Beckham) talked to Leo, only about football issues, because he was a player."

He added:

"I saw it done at the end of May. I didn't want him to feel under pressure. We spoke in Barcelona, Miami, Rosario, Doha. ... I spent the whole World Cup in Qatar, watching Argentina. The Apple contract was very important to close the deal."

Lionel Messi is set to earn $50 million to $60 million per year from his Inter Miami contract. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner will also receive shares from the club's contract with Apple and Adidas.