Lionel Messi likely to make Inter Miami debut off the bench, Martino says

Lionel Messi is set to make his Inter Miami debut on Friday, although he will likely have to settle for a place on the bench against Cruz Azul.

Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi arrived in South Florida last week to a wave of enthusiasm and was presented to fans at a special stadium event on Sunday.

The 36-year-old Argentina forward only began training with his new teammates this week and Miami coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino indicated that his compatriot would most likely be named among the substitutes against Mexico's Cruz Azul for the Leagues Cup match.

"It is very difficult for people not to have expectations," Martino told reporters at a packed out pre-match press conference moved to the downtown performing arts center in Fort Lauderdale due to the huge media interest. "But it may take a while."

Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, a former teammate of Messi's from their glory days with Barcelona, has said he certainly doesn't feel ready yet for a full game in what will also be his debut.

"I need time to adapt. It would be practically impossible for me to play 90 minutes tomorrow," he said.

The fact that fans have paid about $250 for tickets for what has long been billed as Messi's debut, means that he almost certainly will enter the field at some stage however.

Cruz Azul's experienced coach, the Brazilian born Ricardo Ferretti, laughed when asked whether his team expected to face Messi.

"If he didn't play, it would be better. But, they also have to think about something, why are there so many people here? Because of him, right?" said the 69-year-old.

The Inter Miami players who haven't been making the headlines in recent days, have had a strange week with over 200 media turning out to film their training session on