Lionel Messi scored a dramatic goal against Club Cruz Azul in his Inter Miami debut. In the 94th minute, Messi netted a free-kick from about 25 yards.

Lionel Messi made his debut for Inter Miami unforgettable.

The greatest player in the game - seven-time Ballon d'Or winner - scored from a free-kick of around 25 yards in the 94th minute, securing a 2-1 victory for Inter Miami over Mexican club Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup on Friday night.

With his left foot, he sent the ball over the wall of Cruz Azul's four defenders and into the upper-left corner, undoubtedly a moment of immense significance for Inter Miami's brief history. The referee's whistle sounded almost a minute before the game was restarted, and fireworks lit up the night sky.

And if that wasn't enough, he saved his best moment for the end. He spotted the ball in the net after it went into the goal, something he has done nearly 800 times for his club and country before, then jumped into the arms of his teammates, celebrating at the right corner of the field.

Messi had already given Inter Miami a 1-0 lead in the early stages of the second half. He embraced the player he was replacing, midfielder Benjamin Krimetschi, before entering the field, as a crowd estimated at 21,000 was on its feet, seemingly everyone outside with their phones to describe the moment.

Bringing Messi to the club required four years of planning and two years of actual effort for Inter Miami.

"It's worth it," co-owner David Beckham said at the beginning of the week.

He was right.

Even at halftime when the whistle blew, no one left their seats. Reason: Messi was on the field. He warmed up with the reserves for about 5 minutes before heading towards the locker room.

Only then did the fans, finally, get a chance to take a breath by putting their phones down. Temporarily, at least. The anticipation was officially underway: when would Messi come? He started the warm-up again when the second half was underway, jogging around near the Miami supporter section and waving to the fans who cheered for him.

And in the second half, after almost eight minutes, came the answer: it was Messi's time.

The first Inter Miami goal came from Robert Taylor, who received a long cross from Ruby Robinsen, went into the box, and sent a low drive into the near post and behind the net in the mesh's backside, giving them a 1-0 lead at the end of the first half.

Messi celebrated from his seat, throwing his hands in the air, clapping several times, and breaking into a wide smile.

Soon after Messi checked in, Cruz Azul equalized the game, and they had several opportunities to take the lead later on. But the final act belonged to Messi - the kind of moment that concludes a story, if there ever was one.

The sold-out stadium

Team officials revealed that all the tickets - nearly 21,000 in the newly expanded stadium - were sold. Messi arrived at the stadium almost two hours before kickoff, dressed in the team's colors - a pink T-shirt, black shorts. When he entered the tunnel towards the locker room, he paused for a few photos and handshakes.

He shared a few words with LeBron James - another guy who knows a thing or two about making a splash in Miami, joining the Heat in 2010 and winning two NBA titles in a four-year stay - before he settled into his seat and watched his new team, all in pink jerseys, shorts, and socks, start their new era.

Almost every seat was filled, with many people wearing newly acquired Miami jerseys with Messi's name on the back. They chanted his name several times and waved banners with his name and number.

In recent days, it was a mystery how many minutes Messi, the World Cup-winning Argentine and arguably the greatest player ever, would get in his debut. New coach Tata Martino said it would be up to Messi, who hadn't played much lately and was working his way back into match shape.

Messi signed a 2 1/2-year contract with Inter Miami that will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually - and almost certainly more than $1 million per match. Some fans paid over $1,000 for tickets to Friday's match, though the resale market had cooled somewhat from the sky-high prices earlier in the day.

A star-studded audience

Beckham was on the field almost three hours before kickoff, taking a video with his phone as he scanned the empty seats. Inside the stadium, the team store stocked Messi jerseys, and entrepreneurs sold non-official Messi jerseys along the road leading to the pandal.

It was a gathering of GOATs in Messi's first match: James and Serena Williams were there - as were Wayne Gretzky and Dan Marino, who co-own Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins' backup quarterback, in a conversation where the talk was often who was the best of all time when it comes to football, basketball, and tennis.

Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan were there, as was W.K. Kellogg Foundation CEO La June Montgomery Tabron, who said her son had a special reason to be there.

Cardashian said she was super excited to see Messi.

It didn't matter that it was a Wednesday night in America - Messi's first major league soccer game while, on the other side of the world, the U.S. women's team began its World Cup title defense with a win over Vietnam.

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