FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Inter Miami fans are mad about Messi. And not in a good way.

Some of the fans who shelled out thousands of dollars for tickets to Lionel Messi’s expected Inter Miami debut Friday, in a Leagues Cup game against Mexican league foe Cruz Azul at DRV-PNK Stadium, were irate that the Argentine superstar didn’t start.

In a region that prides itself on its star power, Messi drew a galaxy of them to watch his arrival in their midst.

LeBron James, Tom Brady and Serena Williams all have legitimate claims to the GOAT crown in their respective sports.

And all were on hand Friday, as was Kim Kardashian, the OG of influencers.

MLS commissioner Don Garber also was in the house, presiding over a scene with pregame fireworks, huge flags waving emblazoned with Messi’s number 10, an ocean of pink, and an electric atmosphere — charged with promise of what Messi can bring to MLS and to American soccer.

The 36-year-old Messi just joined Inter Miami and started practicing last week.

He was expected to suit up and play against the Mexican side, with The Athletic reporting he will likely play the final 30 minutes.

“Messi and [Sergio] Busquets will play on Friday. I’m not sure if they will start,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said Wednesday afternoon. “The first thing I want is for them to keep training. Jordi Alba became a dad today and that’s why he’ll come in the next few days.”

Everybody at Inter Miami had preached caution in dealing with their newly signed superstar, arguably the best player in the sport’s history.

They dropped hints that Messi would be eased in, as David Beckham, now Inter Miami’s part owner, had been when he made his Los Angeles Galaxy debut in the 78th minute of his first game — 16 years ago to the day from Messi’s expected debut.

“We don’t know if Leo is going to play the game or if he will have minutes, because I think that, after all, he needs to be ready,” Beckham told ESPN Argentina.

That apparently did little to assuage the angry fans, who have been swept up in Messi Mania and bought tickets at what many felt are extortionate prices.

Inter Miami is now the most followed American team on social media, quickly blowing past every NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL team since Messi’s arrival.

The average ticket for Friday was well over $250, with many seats going for prices in the thousands, including one that listed at a staggering $110,000 on the secondary market.

“The moment the ball rolls, there’s no more time for explaining,” Martino said in Spanish at a press conference on Thursday. “We understand we’ve had very few days training together. The players have recently arrived here and they have to get in shape. So sure, immediate results are expected, and we want it to be that way, because the plan we have will flow better if we align them to positive results.”

Cruz Azul coach Ricardo Ferretti chuckled when asked if his team expected to face Messi, and said he’d be perfectly content if the superstar sat out altogether.

“If he didn’t play … it would be better,” Ferretti said. “But, they also have to think about something, why are there so many people here? Because of him, right?”