Chapter 964 Messi is here!

Messi's appearance was timed very carefully, at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

This period of time is the so-called golden time.

The entire debut ceremony lasted from morning to afternoon, and the process was arranged very compactly and orderly.

Messi arrived at Southampton Airport on a private plane at around ten in the morning.

After receiving Messi, the Saints immediately went to a cooperating hospital in Southampton, where Messi will undergo a physical examination.

Charlene Lahiri accepted Southampton's invitation and followed and reported the entire process together with Stephen Howard of The Sun, as well as many media and newspapers including The Guardian, The Times, Sky TV, BBC, Independent, and BT.

Among them, Sky TV and British Telecom even broadcast the entire event live, and the BBC also gave it considerable coverage.

Compared to Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance at Tottenham Hotspur a week ago, Messi's joining Southampton can be said to have set off the entire British Isles.

Southampton's operational capabilities in publicity and promotion are fully demonstrated.

Over the past period of time, news has been released continuously, arousing the curiosity and attention of fans.

As early as a week ago, Cristiano Ronaldo had just made his debut at White Hart Lane, and the Saints began counting down for the new player to join on their official website and mobile app.

At that time, everyone thought it would be Messi, and everyone was interested at once.

Unexpectedly, three days later, Southampton announced the recall of John Stones from Everton.

Although the fans were a little disappointed, the 21-year-old local central defender won the recognition and affirmation of the fans with his outstanding performance at Everton, and made everyone look forward to his prospects at Southampton.

But just three days ago, the Saints once again posted a countdown for players to join on their official website.

At this point, everyone guessed it, it must be Messi, definitely!

The club is also working at full capacity and actively engaging in promotion. Television stations, newspapers and major websites have been reporting on Messi's joining almost continuously over the past three days, stirring up the enthusiasm of fans time and time again.

Now, Messi is really here!

The fans' expectations and enthusiasm have also reached a peak!

Charlene Lahri did not wait in the hospital, but asked a colleague to continue following there while she returned to the Glory Stadium because she knew that the so-called physical examination was just a formality.

Southampton already knew Messi's physical condition.

Many people don’t know that Messi secretly underwent a medical examination by the Saints in Argentina the day after playing in the Copa America.

It is said that the medical department is not satisfied with Messi's physical condition because Messi has been in a high-load state in the past few years, especially in the past two years, last year's World Cup, this year's America's Cup, and next year's America's Cup Centennial Tournament, which have left Messi with no time to rest in the summer.

Originally, Southampton meant that after Messi joined the team, he would get another month of rest.

And Messi actually agreed.

But now, as Argentina missed the Copa America title, Messi adjusted his plan. He hopes to train with the team from the beginning and he hopes to integrate into the team more quickly.

However, Southampton seems to have its own arrangements and calculations for this.

Charlene Lahri walked into the media work area of ​​Glory Stadium.

At this moment, the Glory Stadium is already full.

Everyone is looking forward to Messi's joining ceremony which will be held here in an hour.

Sky TV's news and reports were being broadcast live on the big screen in the stadium.

In the hospital, Messi's physical examination results came out, there was no problem, he passed directly!

This is not surprising.

Next, Messi will sign a professional contract with the club at the Saints' headquarters at the Royal Docks, and then walk from the Saints' Home through the Plaza de Glory and into the Stadium of Glory to meet everyone.

At this moment, outside the Glory Square, there was also a crowd of people.

According to data provided by Southampton officials, there were more than 60,000 fans gathered in the stadium at this time, and more than 100,000 people gathered outside the Stadium of Glory.

What an amazing and spectacular scene this is!

Charlene Lahri had just received news from Saint Harry that members of the Saint Harry fan club had already entered the Glory Stadium in the morning in order to grab seats in the first row.

There were even a dozen fans from northern England who traveled south as early as the early morning just to witness the ceremony of Messi joining the Saints.

Two hours in advance, the Glory Stadium was packed and declared full.

It is conceivable that today is destined to be an event that will amaze the whole world.

The happiest people are the merchants at the Glory Stadium.

Just imagine, with these 170,000 or 180,000 people gathered in the surrounding area, the amount of food and drink they need is definitely a huge number. Wouldn’t they all make a fortune?

It is reported that Citibank has processed a total of 140,000 fan credit cards in the past three days. In order to obtain more points in exchange for free tickets, fans have developed a great enthusiasm for consumption.

It can be seen that Messi's joining is a huge development opportunity for Southampton as a whole.

Yang Huan also attaches great importance to Messi's joining.

Not only did they build momentum for Messi's joining early on, but they also put a lot of thought into the stage for the joining ceremony.

Taking advantage of the turf renovation of the Glory Stadium, the Saints did not immediately cover the field with new turf after clearing the original turf. Instead, they built a simple platform in the middle of the field and laid green carpet around it.

The carpet not only surrounds the platform, but also connects to the players' passage. At first glance, it looks a bit like walking on a catwalk.

The platform is unobstructed on all sides, and any fan entering the stadium, sitting in the stands, can have a clear view of everything that happens on the platform. At the same time, every live camera in the stadium can clearly capture the platform.

Yes, this unveiling ceremony will not only be broadcast live on the WeChat platform, but will also be broadcast live in full by Sky TV and BT, the two major Premier League live broadcasters.

Such a huge momentum and such a special thoughtfulness undoubtedly reflect the Saints' importance to Messi.

Charlene Lahri stood in the media work area, looking at the bustling stadium stands, and then looking at the simple yet not simplistic central platform, she couldn't help but feel incredible.

I still remember that five years ago, when Yang Huan was interviewed by her, he said that Southampton had stood up since then.

At that time, the Saints were still a team in the third-tier league in England, and everyone regarded Yang Huan's words as a joke.

But today, five years later, the Saints have unknowingly achieved three Premier League titles and two consecutive Champions League titles, becoming a veritable top club in Europe.

The team is not only full of stars, but also attracts world-class superstars including Suarez, Hazard and Messi.

Looking at the whole of Europe, who can compare with this lineup?

"Look, Messi is about to leave the hospital!"

In the media center, someone suddenly shouted something, and then the whole audience burst into cheers.

Charlene Lahiri looked at the big screen and found that it was broadcasting live. Messi, accompanied by Southampton staff, walked out of the hospital and waved to the fans who were waiting there to welcome him.

He looked in a good mood and seemed to have gotten over the defeat in the Copa America final.

That’s right, for someone to achieve such success as him, strong psychological qualities are essential.

The latest news was also being refreshed on the big screen, indicating that Messi would appear on the stadium in an hour and the joining ceremony would officially begin.

At the same time, the number of fans in the stadium was also displayed. The total number had reached 60,000, and it was full!

Limited by the capacity of the Estadio da Gloria, the Saints were unable to break the record set when Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in terms of the number of people welcoming Messi, but the grand spectacle of more than 100,000 fans gathering outside the stadium was amazing.

Compared to Cristiano Ronaldo joining Real Madrid, Messi's debut with the Saints is even more impressive.

"Hello, everyone. Messi will arrive at the Glory Stadium in fifteen minutes. Please move to the press conference room!"

Southampton staff walked into the media center to announce the latest developments.

In an instant, everyone in the media center jumped up and filed into the press conference room next door.

Yes, fifteen minutes later, Messi will be here to officially sign a professional contract with Yang Huan of Southampton.

As long as he signs the contract, he will completely belong to Southampton in the next five years!

Thanks to her relationship with Yang Huan and as a die-hard fan of Southampton, Charlene Lahiri was deservedly placed in the first row, and she will be arranged to be the fourth to ask questions later.

The first one is, without a doubt, Yang Huan’s own son, the football expert from China.

Although they have also specially arranged people to follow up the report, the questions this time will be asked in the form of WeChat interaction. It is said that the questions were also raised by Dongqiudi after voting and summarizing the opinions of Chinese netizens.

The second and third places were The Sun and BBC respectively.

There was no choice but for Charlene Lahiri to take the position of lover and ask the fourth question, and she had already prepared the questions.

What is very humane is that the live broadcast of Sky TV was also being broadcast on the screen in the press conference hall, and they had a car specifically to track the car that picked up Messi.

"You said, Master Huan is very good at advertising, right?"

Sitting next to Charlene Lahiri was The Sun's chief reporter Stephen Howard, who chuckled after watching the live broadcast.

The car that picked up Messi was an extended version of the Aston Martin Conqueror, and the cars in the motorcade were all Aston Martins and Lagondas.

It is conceivable that these cars will appear in front of fans all over the world with Messi's live appearance.

This advertisement is really awesome!

"If he heard it, he would definitely spit on you and scold you. Do you think Master Huan's free lunch is so delicious?"

After she finished speaking, Charlene Lahiri herself couldn't help but giggle.

Steven Howard also smiled, this was indeed Master Huan's style.

Since live streaming doesn't cost money, the cost must be recovered from other sources. Therefore, Master Huan must advertise for himself and the Saints' sponsors.

"I heard that the Saints' medical department was not satisfied with Messi's physical examination. I guess Messi's debut will have to be postponed."

Di Maria had not been in good health before, so he didn’t make his debut until more than a month after joining the team.

This shows how much the saints value this aspect.

Nowadays, Messi's health is not very good. He has been overused in the past few years. Now he must have a good rest.

"I don't know, I haven't received any news!" Charlene Lahri shook her head.

Stephen Howard looked at Charlene Lahiri deeply, wondering if she really hadn't received the news or just refused to tell him.

At this moment, cheers and screams suddenly came from outside.

Everyone in the press conference hall stood up immediately.

Obviously, Messi is here!