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LeBron James, Serena Williams And Kim Kardashian Show Up To Watch Lionel Messi Make Inter Miami Debut

LeBron James, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian were in the crowd for Lionel Messi's Inter Miami debut against Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium in the Leagues Cup.

Robert Summerscales

LeBron James, Serena Williams And Kim Kardashian Show Up To Watch Lionel Messi Make Inter Miami Debut
LeBron James, Serena Williams And Kim Kardashian Show Up To Watch Lionel Messi Make Inter Miami Debut /

There were some famous faces among the crowd for Lionel Messi's first game as an Inter Miami player.

Tickets had been in high-demand for Friday's Leagues Cup clash with Mexico's Cruz Azul, with fans desperate to see Messi in action for the first time since he completed his free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.

But basketball icon LeBron James, tennis legend Serena Williams and social media star Kim Kardashian all managed to get themselves into DRV PNK Stadium.

James and Messi were spotted sharing a pre-match hug.

LeBron James pictured (left) hugging Lionel Messi ahead of the soccer star's debut for Inter Miami in July 2023
LeBron James pictured (left) hugging Lionel Messi ahead of the soccer star's debut for Inter Miami :: Twitter/@MLS

Kardashian attended the game with her seven-year-old son Saint West.

She spoke to Apple TV before kickoff and said: "My son, he is obsessed with soccer and I will do anything for my babies. So I've traveled the world, we do soccer trips."

Kardashian then went on to claim that she had "played soccer for five or six years" as a youngster.

She added: "I was a goalie and center-forward. I wasn't bad."

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, who is married to Inter Miami president David Beckham, was also at the match.

Fans had to be patient as Messi started the game on the bench, alongside fellow summer signing Sergio Busquets.

Both former Barcelona stars eventually entered the action in the 54th minute.

Messi's introduction proved to be worth the wait as he went on to score a stunning last-minute winner direct from a free-kick.

His 94th-minute moment of magic followed earlier goals from Robert Taylor and Uriel Antuna.

Miami's 2-1 victory ended a run of 11 games without a win.

SEE MORE: Watch Lionel Messi Score Stunning Free-Kick Goal On Inter Miami Debut

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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.

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