Inter Miami to honour Lionel Messi in friendly against NYCFC

Inter Miami will celebrate Lionel Messi's record eighth Ballon d'Or award with a friendly against New York City FC.

He will be honored as part of the club's Noche d'Or (Night of Gold) celebration on Nov. 10 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Fans at DRV PNK Stadium will get to see the 36-year-old Argentina native's historic trophy before the match.

The 6 p.m. ET pregame ceremony also will feature speeches from Messi, team owner Jorge Mas and MLS commissioner Don Garber.

The match against NYCFC will start at 8 p.m.

On Monday in Paris, Messi became the first active MLS player to win the Ballon d'Or, presented annually to the best player in the world. His record eight wins are three more than runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi guided Argentina to the 2022 World Cup championship at Qatar and won the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title at Paris Saint-Germain before joining Inter Miami in mid-July. He tallied 11 goals and eight assists in 14 appearances with the Herons.