Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler has welcomed Lionel Messi after the World Cup winner signed for Inter Miami and made an exciting prediction for the city.
The buzz in Miami was already high after the Heat made the NBA Finals and the Florida Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Finals, but now MLS franchise Inter Miami have agreed to sign one of the greatest football players of all time. Messi rejected the chance to return to Barcelona and even turned down a world-record contract from Saudi Arabia to join MLS.
It's a ground-breaking moment in MLS history and a priceless acquisition by David Beckham and his franchise. But according to Butler, it's huge for the city as a whole as he expects people from all over the world to come to Miami for Messi.
"Obviously, he is one of the greatest players to play that beautiful game," Butler said before Game 4 of the NBA Finals. "I'm so excited for the city of Miami, to be able to have a player of that calibre here. I'm excited for the city of Miami in so many different ways.
"Obviously us being in the Finals and having an opportunity to do something special. Now that he is here, I think all the football/soccer fans from all over the world are going to come here and get an opportunity to watch him compete. I'm glad he is here."
Butler has met Messi in the past and is keen to hang out with the 35-year-old when he gets settled in. "I wouldn't say that I know him enough, but I have met him before," Butler added. "Will I reach out? Probably not. I know he has probably got a ton of stuff going on anyway.
"He is coming over here to do something special for this city. I won't reach out. I'm happy that he is here, though. I really am. I know we will link whenever he is here."
Messi's arrival has been compared to Beckham's transfer to LA Galaxy back in 2007, something that was described as the "defining moment in MLS history" according to former Houston Dynamo president Chris Canetti. But the league is way more established now than it was back then, and Messi is considered by many as the greatest footballer ever.
It's a deal that's lifted the region of Miami, with both the Panthers and the Heat trailing 2-1 in their respective finals. Butler is still confident that the Heat can come back against the Denver Nuggets, despite Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray breaking records in the NBA Finals already.
"I wouldn't change anything. Not one thing. I continue to be who I am," Butler said. "We will continue to be who we are as a group, as a team. We're going to go out here and compete together. We're going to win together. We're going to be who we are. I wouldn't change a thing, though."
