LeBron James Gave Lionel Messi A Hug Before His First Game For Inter Miami

The greatest to ever step on a soccer field and arguably the greatest to ever step on the hardwood met up on Friday night in Florida. Lionel Messi, the highest-profile player to ever join a Major League Soccer team, made his debut for Inter Miami CF on Friday in a League Cup game against Mexican side Cruz Azul.

Messi, whose move to Miami became official earlier this week after he announced he’d join the team following his contract with Paris Saint-Germain coming to its conclusion, started the bench on the game. This was announced in the lead-up to the game, and LeBron James managed to take advantage of this. James made his way down to area next to the team’s bench at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale and went right over to Messi, making it a point to show him some love before the game.

James, of course, knows what it’s like to make a highly publicized move to a team in Miami, as his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers came to an end when he decided to join the Miami Heat back in 2010. There’s no word on whether James used this meeting as an opportunity to try and convince Messi to join Liverpool, the Premier League side in which he owns a stake, but unfortunately for James, that ship has probably sailed.