FLORIDA’S FORT LAUDERDALE (AP) – After training sessions, supporters gather in front of Inter Miami’s practice facility to witness Lionel Messi’s car leave. After games, players from competing teams line up to receive his signature or just a handshake. South Florida is covered with his No. 10 jersey.

These serve as constant reminders to Messi that he made the right decision. He could have continued his illustrious career by staying in Barcelona, where he first found fame. He had the opportunity to agree to a lucrative contract to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. He made the unorthodox decision to play soccer in the United States and is happy he did.

Messi stated through an interpreter, “It’s been a fantastic reception from the beginning, from my arrival. He made his first public statement on Thursday since declaring on June 7 that he would join MLS team Inter Miami.

At Miami’s DRV PNK Stadium, Messi stated, “Today I can tell you that I am very happy with the decision we made,” in a room so packed with reporters that some were seated on the floor.

The 36-year-old claimed that he is still getting used to his new environment. While they look for a permanent house, his family is now staying in a temporary location in South Florida. His three sons are about to start school.

The transfer has been “much easier than expected” in comparison to his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, where he played for the past two years, albeit he is still getting used to “hot and humid” Florida.

Messi stated that his trip to Paris was neither anticipated nor wanted. I struggled since I didn’t want to leave Barcelona. However, God is working in such a way that the opposite is now occurring to me.

Since Messi’s declaration, Inter Miami has signed former Barcelona captain Serio Busquets, a senior defender in Jordi Alba, and hired former Barcelona and Argentina national team coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

Since then, the club’s ascent has been swift.

Messi has scored nine goals in six games for his new team, which has a 5-14-3 record and is currently last in the MLS Eastern Conference. Inter Miami, which is currently on a six-match winning streak, will face Nashville in the League Cup final on Saturday in an effort to capture its first championship.

We were aware from the beginning of the competition that we would have to start over because the team had a new coach and other new players, according to Messi. “Thanks to all the new teammates that have come here, we have done incredibly well right from the start. This was a good chance for us to start making changes and to set challenging but achievable goals.

Tuesday’s semifinal round saw Miami overcome Philadelphia, one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. In the 20th minute of the 4-1 triumph, Messi smashed a shot from 30 yards past three Philadelphia players.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner gave Inter Miami a 2-1 victory over Mexican club Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup opening on July 21 on his debut by sending a free kick into the top left corner of the goal in the 94th minute.

A few days later, in another Leagues Cup match against Atlanta, he put on a two-goal effort.

Messi’s free-kick once again eluded the goalkeeper in his first away game, a Leagues Cup elimination match against FC Dallas, and found the upper corner of the net for a tying goal that necessitated a shootout victory.

David Beckham, a co-owner of Inter Miami, said last month that “he’s at the stage of his career where he’s done everything that any soccer player can do in a sport as one of the greatest players, if not the greatest player to ever play the game.” He’s still hungry, then. He was on the practice field, as I recall. He’s still hungry, I know that.

Messi has undoubtedly elevated American soccer to a global level, following in the footsteps of some of the game’s finest stars who have relocated to the U.S. toward the conclusion of their careers, including Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Thierry Henry, and Beckham himself.

He has won 10 La Liga championships and four Champions League wins. In the elite club competition, his 129 goals are second only to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 140.

Messi still seems to be at the top of his game after more than 17 years and just a few months after winning the World Cup. However, he doesn’t see this time in his career as an opportunity to win additional individual honors or even serve as the sport’s representative in the United States.

He remarked, “I just came here to play and keep loving football.