Lionel Messi has named the world's biggest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, while he and his Inter Miami teammates flaunted the team's new away uniform sponsor.
Messi and his teammates participated in the naming of the new ship on Tuesday at a ceremony hosted by the second-largest cruise line operator in the world at the Port of Miami. The ship will formally set sail for the first time this weekend, according to Daily Mail.
At 1,198 feet, it is the longest liner in the world. However, the $2 billion price tag came with the building of 20 decks and combined weight of 250,800 gross tonnes and a maximum capacity of 7,600 passengers.
As the main attraction of the occasion, Messi, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup champion, started the custom of shattering a champagne bottle against the ship's bow, which is meant to bring luck to the ship and her occupants.
Later on, the 36-year-old Argentinean described it as a "privilege."
"It's a great honour for me and I know what it means for the city of Miami and the entire world," Messi said in Spanish. "So, I name this ship Icon of the Seas. God bless you and all of the people who will sail with her."
Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley added, "We built the biggest, baddest ship on the planet. It's really exciting when you introduce a new class of ship, but it's even most excited when it seems to be really spot on."
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