美国国家公共电台 NPR--Messi shocks soccer world with announcement he'll join Miami's MLS team

Messi shocks soccer world with announcement he'll join Miami's MLS team

Transcript¹

Soccer legend Lionel Messi is coming to the United States to join Major League Soccer. He will be playing for Inter² Miami, a franchise³ led by soccer icon⁴ David Beckham.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Argentinian soccer legend Lionel Messi says he's coming to Miami. Bienvenido a Miami. Messi has decided⁵ to come to the U.S. to play Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. And soccer fans in South Florida are thrilled. Joining us now to talk about all the excitement is Veronica Zaragovia with member station WLRN in Miami. Veronica, so is this as big as when LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach and play for the Heat?

VERONICA ZARAGOVIA, BYLINE⁶: (Laughter) Funny you should ask because, yes, it's a unifying⁷ thrill that this sports God is coming to our region here. But also, with geography, everybody's saying that Messi is coming to Miami, but the stadium where Inter Miami plays is actually in Fort⁸ Lauderdale.

MART?NEZ: (Laughter).

ZARAGOVIA: But, yes, it's a very exciting moment for everybody.

MART?NEZ: And, I mean, you got to, like, just kind of walk around a bit and to kind of check out how excited people are.

ZARAGOVIA: Oh, yeah. People's faces have been lighting⁹ up, you know, from the moment the news started spreading until it got confirmed. And I walked into a Pele Soccer store yesterday, early afternoon, on Miami Beach. And there, the manager was already using this heat press machine to put Messi's name and the number 10, which was his number with Argentina in the World Cup and with Barcelona, on the back and - of these pink jerseys¹⁰ for Inter Miami. And at the store, I met a fan, Christopher Long (ph).

CHRISTOPHER LONG: I just found out that Messi's going to Inter Miami. That's crazy. Yeah, now I'm going to try to get tickets. They're going to think Inter Miami is the biggest club now in MLS. So now we got to prove it now in the season, winning the games, and make David Beckham proud. MLS, baby. Champs. Let's go.

(LAUGHTER)

ZARAGOVIA: And he's referring, of course, to the retired¹¹ soccer player David Beckham, who is one of the owners of Inter Miami. And the team could really use Messi right now. They're last in the MLS Eastern Conference standings.

MART?NEZ: So yeah, because he could go anywhere in the world, so why pick Inter Miami?

ZARAGOVIA: Well, he gave an interview to a Spanish news company called Mundo Deportivo. And he said he didn't want to repeat the bitter exit from FC Barcelona in 2021, when they didn't have the money to keep him. And Messi also said he's ready to leave European soccer, especially after winning the World Cup for Argentina. And then, also having a family has really influenced his decision. He talked a lot about wanting to spend time with his sons and enjoy day-to-day life.

MART?NEZ: Yeah, that makes sense. Now, he could have gotten a lot of money going to Saudi Arabia. What is Miami offering Messi?

ZARAGOVIA: Well, we don't know exactly the amount of money involved yet. He said in that interview that the deal is still being ironed out. But the Athletic¹³ reported that it could include a piece of the MLS and Apple's broadcast partnership¹⁴ and the option to own an MLS team in the future. And, well, the Saudi Arabia deal, according to the Athletic, would have paid him $400 million per year. So maybe geography and being closer to Argentina while being here in Miami won out over the cash. And plus, Miami has the largest population of people from Argentina in the U.S., so he'll definitely fit right in.

MART?NEZ: There you go. So when will people see him in the new kit¹⁵?

ZARAGOVIA: Well, to figure that out, I checked for that on SeatGeek. It's a website to buy tickets. And starting July 21, the ticket, the cheapest one, is already $530. And that's for the standing¹² area. They usually cost about $20. And the price goes up into the thousands for some games from there. And we checked ticket sales with other MLS clubs that are playing Inter Miami later this summer and prices have jumped already fivefold. And that's for people to see Leo Messi play.

MART?NEZ: That's Veronica Zaragovia with member station WLRN in Miami. Veronica, thanks a lot.

ZARAGOVIA: Thank you so much.

(SOUNDBITE OF BRONTIDE'S "SANS SOUCI")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 inter   

v.埋葬

参考例句：

• They interred their dear comrade in the arms.他们埋葬了他们亲爱的战友。
• The man who died in that accident has been interred.在那次事故中死的那个人已经被埋葬了。

3 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

4 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 unifying   

使联合( unify的现在分词 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• In addition, there were certain religious bonds of a unifying kind. 此外，他们还有某种具有一种统一性质的宗教上的结合。
• There is a unifying theme, and that is the theme of information flow within biological systems. 我们可以用一个总的命题，把生物学系统内的信息流来作为这一研究主题。

8 fort   

n.要塞，堡垒，碉堡

参考例句：

• The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
• No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证，任何人不得进入要塞。

9 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

10 jerseys   

n.运动衫( jersey的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The maximum quantity of cotton jerseys this year is about DM25,000. 平方米的羊毛地毯超过了以往的订货。 来自口语例句
• The NBA is mulling the prospect of stitching advertising logos onto jerseys. 大意：NBA官方正在酝酿一个大煞风景的计划——把广告标志绣上球服！ 来自互联网

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

14 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

15 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。