The invites landed last Friday and they came shrouded in mystery. Inter Miami vowed it would be a 'special event' but they were rather thin on detail. There was a date and a time and a location. But very little else. No guest list, no itinerary. Just the promise of 'exciting entertainment, speeches… and more'. Oh, and a name: 'The Unveil.'
Perhaps the club were reluctant to tempt fate. Perhaps they thought some people really do kip under a rock. But, really, they need not have bothered. Sunday's event has long been the worst-kept secret in sport.
But still they waited, until Saturday night, to tell the world what they already knew: Lionel Messi is in town.
'Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to this amazing city,' David Beckham, Inter Miami co-owner said.
'Players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to help grow football in the USA and to build a legacy for the next generation in this sport that we love so much… today that dream came true.'
Can you blame them for jumping the gun? Beckham has been plastering the news on the side of wall in Miami's Wynwood district.
His co-owner Jorge Mas has been shouting about the three years of planning that went into Sunday's celebration in Fort Lauderdale.
Adidas have used their flagship New York store, on Broadway, to sing all about it. The mayor of Fort Lauderdale has been shooting a commercial to mark the occasion.
Even the horse has been running his mouth.
It has been six weeks since Messi first announced he was heading to Major League Soccer. Since he snubbed Saudi Arabia for South Beach and sent shockwaves across this vast country.
Technically the deal only became
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