Robert Lewandowski joins FC Barcelona in Fort Lauderdale on eve of game vs Inter Miami

As if FC Barcelona’s visit to South Florida this week wasn’t enough reason to have international soccer media and fans buzzing, the arrival of Robert Lewandowski took Barca Mania to a new level.

The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year signed with Barcelona over the weekend in a $50 million transfer from Bayern Munich. He flew to Miami to meet his new teammates and attended training for the first time in a Barca shirt on Monday.

The team held a public open training session at DRV PNK Stadium, where the Spanish powerhouse will play Inter Miami in a sold-out friendly match Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Lewandowski told the Barca media: “Barca is back. I think I can help to put the team back at the top of European football. I have always wanted to play in LaLiga and for a big team.”

Inter Miami coach Phil Neville and his players are excited about the occasion and eager to test themselves against some of the world’s top talent.

“From the minute this game was announced, it’s created an awful lot of excitement,” Neville said. “I said this is the biggest game in the club’s history because of the size of the club we managed to bring to our city. When you talk about Barcelona, you talk about an institution of football, one of the biggest sports brands in the whole of the world.”

Neville said every single player will get on the field and that his message to his team was to respect, but not be in awe, of the iconic opponent. He pointed out that while he played for Manchester United and Everton, he faced tough friendlies against MLS teams, including a loss by Everton to Real Salt Lake.

“We want to compete and give Barcelona a good game,” Neville said. “We want to test ourselves against the best. We saw Barcelona at their training and there’s just a different feel, the way they behave, the way they pass the ball. It’s a great learning experience, but we’re not here to get autographs or swap shirts. We’re here to win this game.

“Yes, be proud you’re on the same pitch. Afterward, maybe get a selfie. That’s the way of the world these days. But during those 90 minutes, compete and test yourself against the best. The past few days we heard they signed Lewandowski. They signed Raphinha. And you think, `Oh, dear me, we’re in for a tough game.’ But we shouldn’t be afraid. This will help us to show how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.”

Inter Miami’s Brazilian captain Gregore echoed Neville’s sentiments.

“This is a game all players want to play,” Gregore said. “We want to learn, compete and win the game. We will have a full stadium and it should be a great occasion.”

Even the Miami Dolphins got in on the Barca craze. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle showed up at Barcelona’s morning practice to film a cross-sport challenge against Barca players Raphinha and Sergiño Dest of the U.S. national team. The event was part of a series produced by the NFL called Game Recognize Game. It will air in September.

It is Barca’s fourth appearance in Miami. The team played Chivas Guadalajara in 2011, Real Madrid in 2017, and Napoli 2019. All those were played at Hard Rock Stadium. The “El Clasico” match against rival Real Madrid drew a sellout crowd of 66,014.

Past Barcelona appearances featured megastars Messi, Neymar, and Ronaldo. Though casual fans might not recognize some of the names on the current Barcelona roster, soccer fans around the world are quite familiar with names like Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Memphis Depay, Ousmane Dembele, Dest, Jordi Alba, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Busquets and newly signed Andreas Christensen said they both have friends in MLS and are looking forward to Tuesday’s match. Busquets has followed the league since David Villa signed, finds it intriguing, and said he did not rule out playing in the United States in the future.

He knew that Inter Miami struggled at the start of the season, has been on a better run of late, and that the club recently added Spanish playmaker Alejandro Pozuelo.

“Miami is in the middle of the standings now, and this is a team that can make the playoffs, and once they’re in the playoff, it’s a whole new tournament,” Busquets said. “It’s a team that likes to keep the ball a lot and we will have to play our best against them.”