Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami announced that Argentine great Lionel Messi will play in front of a stand named after him at the team’s new home, the Nu Stadium. Inter Miami are set to play their first match at the 26,700-seat stadium on April 4, and their captain and record-goalscorer has been afforded the rare honour of being an active athlete to play at a venue with a stand named after them. “Traditionally, tributes look to the past. They are built from nostalgia. From memory. This one is different. This one is born from the present. From what is happening right now. From what you feel every time Leo steps onto the pitch. Recognizing someone is not always about closing a chapter. Sometimes it is about realizing you are witnessing something unique,” Inter Miami said in a statement. Notably, according to the BBC, the only other arena where there is a stand after Messi of today is Newell’s Old Boys in June 2025, the team where the 38-year-old played as a child. At 13, Messi moved to Barcelona’s La Masia, and joined the Under 14s, before moving through the ranks. A veces, ciertas cosas no deben esperar. pic.twitter.com/OfRwCiEXN6 — Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) March 27, 2026 Since joining Inter Miami in the summer of 2023, Messi became the first back-to-back MVP in MLS history (2024–2025) and won the 2025 Golden Boot with 48 total goal contributions. In just 94 appearances, he has already become the club’s all-time leading scorer and assist provider with 82 goals and 53 assists. Inter Miami have also won the 2023 Leagues Cup, the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield, the 2025 Eastern Conference title and the 2025 MLS Cup since Messi’s arrival, backed by David Beckham. Also Read | Lionel Messi chases Cristiano Ronaldo’s 900-goal landmark — but Nashville keep him waiting Messi, of course, is most renowned for his time at Barcelona in Spain, where he played from 2003 to 2021 for 778 appearances that resulted in a whopping 672 goals. “As the MLS Cup Champions gear up for our historic opener at Nu Stadium on April 4, Inter Miami is thrilled to announce that the East Stand at our new state-of-the-art home will be dedicated to the best player in history,” the club statement added. “Spanning from sections 117-121 in the Lower Bowl and 217 – 223 in the Upper Bowl, the Leo Messi Stand is incorporated into Nu Stadium’s unified seating bowl.”
Lionel Messi will play in front of the Leo Messi Stand at Inter Miami’s new home, Nu Stadium
