The effect that Lionel Messi has had on Inter Miami has been readily apparent, as seen by his three goals and one assist in 120 minutes of play on the field; nevertheless, his teammates believe that his influence off the field may be just as important.
When he signed with the team that finished dead last in the Major League Soccer standings, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and newly minted Argentine captain for the World Cup winning team was presented with a lot of possible challenges.
After spending his whole career playing with world-class players at Barcelona, Lionel Messi moved on to play for Paris Saint-Germain and found himself in a locker room full of largely unfamiliar faces. Messi’s former teammates at Barcelona included superstars such as the Brazilian Neymar and the Frenchman Kylian Mbappe.
Even though he made millions of dollars more than his teammates, was living a lifestyle they could only dream of, and had a football résumé that they could only imagine, it was by no means certain that he would connect with the rest of the group.
Along with another former Barcelona great and World Cup champion, Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, Messi signed with the club this month, further contributing to the dramatic shift that has taken place inside the squad.
However, if you talk to anybody linked with Inter Miami, they will instantly tell you how the two players have put their egos to the side and gone out of their way to integrate themselves with the rest of the club.
DeAndre Yedlin, an American fullback, believes that “to be honest, I think that boils down to the character of that person.”
“They’ve come in here, and they haven’t braggadocio or been like, oh, we’re the big guys here or anything like that,” I said. They’ve made an effort to fit in seamlessly with the rest of the team,” the defender remarked, before handing over the captain’s armband to Messi.
According to Yedlin, despite the fact that both of them are aware that whatever request they make would undoubtedly be granted, they have not been given any preferential treatment at the training site.
They consume the same foods that we eat, exercise in the same manner that we train, and work with the same trainers that we work with. There is no distinction to be made.
Therefore, we get the distinct impression that they are a member of our group, one of us. Yedlin, who formerly competed in the English Premier League with Newcastle United, stated that he believes this is beneficial to the team.
Yedlin was seen leaving the stadium wearing new headphones in the squad’s pink and black colors, which he said Messi had handed to the whole team following Tuesday’s triumph against Atlanta, which was their second consecutive win with their new team-mates. The win was their second straight win since they had joined the team.
Yedlin claims that there is no longer any cause for anxiety over the possibility of a “us and them” rift developing inside the club ever since he and his partner arrived in South Florida.
“No one really had any idea what to anticipate. “But, they’ve been an incredibly pleasant surprise to work with, learn from, and play with,” he added. “Playing with them has been a lot of fun, too.”
The technical prowess of Messi and Busquets isn’t the only reason why Miami went from a struggling squad that lacked confidence to a team that played with swagger and some flair in the span of only two games.
It is quite evident that the two individuals are dedicated to assisting the rest of the team in achieving their potential.
Messi’s response to any errors made by his teammates has been to provide advice and encouragement, as opposed to the irritated gestures that other top players in the MLS have showed in response to errors made by their teammates.
Dream came true
Fullback Noah Allen, who is 19 years old and grew up just down the road from Inter’s DRV PNK Stadium in Pembroke Pines, Florida, thinks that Messi is a pleasure to play alongside. Allen grew up just down the road from the stadium.
“He really helps all of us enjoy the game, and he gives us some extra room to move around.” Therefore, we have more time on the ball, and we need to improve our decision-making, as he said before.
Since we are competing against the top players in the world, we need to make sure that we are at our very best. And he’s been a huge assistance to us in that regard,” he said.
Robert Taylor, a winger for the Finnish national team, has been the player who has profited the most from the presence of Lionel Messi. Taylor has scored three goals in the previous two games, just like Messi has, and he has also helped Messi out by providing an assist.
“It’s a dream come true to play with him,” said Taylor, who had a difficult time breaking into the starting lineup before Martino took over. “It’s a dream come true to play with him.”
Busquets receives less attention than Messi, but he is the one who pulls the strings in the middle of the field. He thinks that the duo’s prior experience playing under Martino is enabling them to lead their new teammates in the transition to the new style.
It is obvious that knowledge is being shared since Busquets can regularly be seen chatting to teammates during games and pointing out passing alternatives that may have been overlooked.
“I know Tata, his philosophy, and what he wants, and on a tactical level I think I can help all of the players, not just the young ones,” the Spaniard stated. “I think I can help all of the players a lot, not just the young ones.”
“We are trying to improve, and yes, we have that communication, so that it can be seen in the matches,” he said.