Fans line up outside Inter Miami’s training facilities to watch Lionel Messi’s car drive off after training. Players from opposing teams wait after games to get their autograph or just a handshake. His #10 jersey is everywhere in South Florida. For Messi, these are reminders that he made the right choice. He could continue his illustrious career with a second place in Barcelona, where he rose to stardom. Messi could have signed a lucrative contract to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. He chose the unknown to travel to the United States and play soccer in the United States. And he is happy about it. Scroll down to read Lionel Messi Finally Opens Up About Joining Inter Miami.
Lionel Messi Finally Opens Up About Joining Inter Miami
Messi spoke publicly on Thursday for the first time since announcing on June 7 that he was joining MLS side Inter Miami. He spoke in a room so full of journalists at the Miami DRV PNK Stadium. The stadium was so full that some were sitting on the floor. He said, “From the beginning, since my arrival, it was an impressive reception that we received. Today I can tell you that I am very happy with our decision.”
The 36-year-old said he is still adjusting to the new environment. His family is temporarily located in South Florida while they look for a permanent home. His three sons will soon start school. He is still getting used to “hot and humid” Florida, but overall the transition is much easier than expected compared to his move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, where he played for the last two years.
Messi said, “My going to Paris was not planned or wanted. I didn’t want to leave Barcelona and it became difficult. But it’s the opposite of what’s happening to me now, thank God.”
Messi On League Cup Finals
Following Messi’s announcement, Inter Miami hired former Barcelona and Argentina coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino and signed former Barcelona captain Serio Busquets and veteran defender Jordi Alba. Since then, the rise of the club has been drastic.
Messi has nine goals in six games with his new club, which is in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference at 5-14-3. Inter Miami, now riding a six-game winning streak, will compete for its first championship against Nashville in the League Cup final on Saturday.
Messi said, “From the beginning of the competition, we knew that we would start from scratch because the team has a new coach and other new players. From the start, we’ve been doing well here with all the new teammates. It was a nice opportunity to start changing and set ourselves tough goals, but goals we were ready to achieve.”
Miami defeated Philadelphia – the top three seed in the Eastern Conference – in Tuesday’s semifinals. Messi ripped a 30-yard shot past three Philadelphia defenders in the 20th minute of the 4-1 win.
On his debut on July 21, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner fired a 94th-minute free kick into the top left corner of the goal as Inter Miami beat Mexico’s Cruz Azul 2-1 in the League Cup. He then scored two goals against Atlanta in another League Cup game a few days later.
In the first away match, a League Cup final against FC Dallas, Messi’s free-kick again deflected past the goalkeeper into the top corner of the net. This resulted in a penalty shootout win.
David Beckham last month said, “He’s at a stage in his career where he’s done everything that any football player can do in this sport. Being one of the best players, if not the best player, to ever play the game. So he’s still hungry. I saw him on the training ground. I know he’s still hungry.”
Following in the footsteps of some of the game’s biggest names who came to the United States late in their careers — Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Thierry Henry, and Beckham himself — Messi certainly put American soccer on the global stage. He is a four-time Champions League winner with 10 La Liga titles. His 129 goals in the top flight are less than Cristiano Ronaldo’s 140 goals.
More than 17 years and just a few months after winning the World Cup, Messi still seems to be at the peak of his football skills. But for him, this stage of his career is not about being a sports ambassador for the United States. It is not even collecting individual accolades.
“I just came here to play and enjoy football,” he said.
