After joining MLS in July 2023, Messi’s achievements at Inter Miami can’t be ignored: he made it to two finals and won a trophy but was away for almost two months due to injury; see Messi‘s numbers
Almost a year after settling in North America, Lionel Messi and his club Inter Miami has experienced ups and downs since choosing Inter Miami as his new home. After frustrating spells at PSG and golden years at Barcelona that require no explanation, the number 10 has already been able to experience championships in his short tenure in South Florida, but not without a few injury setbacks.
In general, however, what has this “new” chapter in Messi’s story been like? Is he the icon and idol people believed he would become when coming to the US to play?
Lionel Messi: The idol’s numbers in 2023
After what can be described as one of the biggest sports deals in US football history, Lionel Messi’s move to MLS still surprises fans worldwide. His arrival also brought high expectations, given all the history that the number 10 brings, whether through the clubs he played for or the recent chapters with the Argentina team, where he won both the Copa América and the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
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The start of Messi’s era in Miami couldn’t have been better. In the first two months of last season, he was at the forefront of winning the inaugural Leagues Cup, a championship that involves all of MLS and Liga MX teams for the first time in MLS’s recent history. Furthermore, he led his team to the final of the U.S. Open Cup, losing the trophy to the Houston Dynamo, being defeated by a score of 2-1.
As for MLS, Messi couldn’t do anything for a team that, entering the middle of the season, was in 14th place in the standings and wasn’t even close to making the playoffs. Even so, and without playing official matches between October and February due to his early elimination from the league, Messi scored 11 goals and five assists in the 14 games he played.
High expectations for Messi and Inter Miami in the 2024 season
Messi has faced another health setback in the current season, his second significant injury since arriving in the southern United States. At the beginning of March, he injured his right hamstring, leaving him out of three MLS games, the first leg of the quarter-finals in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and friendlies with Argentina. The absence would be costly for Messi and his team, as Monterrey eliminated them after Miami failed to win the first leg at home, ending Messi’s CONCACAF Continental Cup bid.
Even so, Messi has shown incredible numbers in 2024, with eight games played, seven goals, and four assists. In the match against Sporting Kansas City last Saturday, he went 90 minutes for the first time after fully recovering from the injury. He was essential in the 3-2 victory, scoring his own and serving Diego Gómez for Miami’s first goal.
O Arrowhead abriu as portas para o futebol por causa de Lionel Messi… e Lionel Messi agradeceu assim.pic.twitter.com/cZo8pk4eFY
— Leonardo Bertozzi (@lbertozzi) April 14, 2024
Despite being eliminated in the Champions Cup by Monterrey, Messi will have 3 more chances to lead the pink shirts to a title in three other championships. In Major League Soccer, Inter Miami currently sits 1st in the Eastern Conference with 15 points in four wins, three draws, and two defeats.
All we can do is wait and watch what the 36-year-old player, now with old acquaintances at his side, such as Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and his faithful squire, Luis Suárez, can do throughout the season.
The fact is that Messi, even at a point in his career where he could leave the scene for good, has shown increasing willpower to bring glories to his new club and continue making history.
Cover: Inter Miami
Translation: Celso Oliveira
