Lionel Messi is playing on network television for the first time since joining Inter Miami.

It’s the third game of Inter Miami’s 2024 MLS season, and comes one day following the four-year anniversary of Inter Miami’s first match in MLS. And look how far Inter Miami has come.

Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas played the long game on his relationship with Messi, courting him throughout the 2022 World Cup while introducing him to Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue, who got the ball rolling on Messi’s World Cup documentary and Messi’s partnership with Apple when he signed last summer.

Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham — who lived the life Messi is living, as a worldwide celebrity, coming out the other side from national team struggles, and embarked on playing in MLS for L.A. Galaxy — also played a crucial role.

And Messi, who is in the twilight of his soccer career after winning the World Cup, continues to shine as the brightest star in the sport.

How to watch Inter Miami vs. Orlando City live stream?

Inter Miami hosts Orlando City at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX, with a free live stream available on Apple TV. The match will be played at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Will Messi play vs. Orlando City?

Messi is expected to start, but Inter Miami coach Tata Martino expressed concern about how hard Messi played in the first two matches of the season. Preserving Messi’s body is a major part about the long game, too.

“Of course, I’ve been discussing some things with him. What worries me the most is the day-to-day and how he is recovering game by game,” Martino said.

“I feel that in these first two matches, we have relied on him excessively in each encounter, which has caused him significant fatigue in both games.”

Messi has a game-tying goal and an assist in his first two games this season. Inter Miami enters with four of six possible points following a win over Real Salt Lake and a draw against the Galaxy.

What is Messi’s schedule with Inter Miami and Argentina in March?

Along with Inter Miami’s season, Messi is expected to join Argentina for this summer’s Copa America, which could be his last major international tournament after the 2022 World Cup. He’s 36.

Messi’s workload will be considerably high with five Inter Miami matches and two matches with the Argentine national team in the next three weeks of March.

Saturday’s Inter Miami home game against Orlando City begins a five-game stretch in two weeks. The second and fourth games of the stretch will be against Nashville SC in the round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Messi was also selected by Argentina to play in two recently announced matches – March 22 vs. El Salvador in Philadelphia and March 26 vs. Costa Rica in Los Angeles – which puts him in the mix for seven matches in 21 days.

If Messi plays in the friendlies, he would miss Inter Miami’s road game against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on March 23. Inter Miami's March 30 home game against New York FC could either be Messi’s return or a rest day after his March slate.

What is Argentina’s Copa America 2024 schedule?

Argentina will play in the tournament opener against Canada or Trinidad and Tobago on June 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

Argentina’s second match is against Chile on June 25 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 

Argentina will also play Peru on June 29 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Copa America final will be held at the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins on July 14.

Before Argentina plays in Copa America, they will have two warmup matches: June 9 vs. Ecuador at Soldier Field in Chicago; June 14 vs. Guatemala at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.

Messi would miss at least five Inter Miami matches this summer if Argentina reaches the Copa América final again. The potential matches: June 15 at Philadelphia Union; June 19 vs. Columbus Crew; June 29 at Nashville; July 3 at Charlotte FC; and July 6 at FC Cincinnati.

Messi reaches 500 million followers on Instagram

Lionel Messi has achieved another milestone, this time on social media.

Messi, the 2022 World Cup champion and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the soccer’s best player, has reached 500 million followers on Instagram last weekend.

Check out his thank you post here.

Messi goes viral with dribbling move over injured player

Lionel Messi, with just one sequence in his season opener, showed why he’s seen by many as the best soccer player in the world.

Messi went viral after dribbling over an injured defender – Andrew Brody, who was laying on the field after getting his hand stepped on earlier in the sequence – during the first half of Inter Miami’s 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night.