Lionel Messi leads Inter Miami to Leagues Cup final
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami soared past the Philadelphia Union to earn themselves a spot in the Leagues Cup final on Saturday, August 19th vs Nashville SC.
SportsPulse, USA TODAY
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It’s been less than two months since Lionel Messi arrived in South Florida and joined the Inter Miami MLS team co-owned by David Beckham.
While Messi’s play on the field has lived up to the Messi Mania hype that has followed him worldwide, he’s still experiencing an adjustment period off the pitch. Messi’s family has yet to buy a house they will call a home, and his three children will soon enroll in school for this fall.
But so far, they’re happy to be in Miami.
“Today I can tell you that I am very happy with the decision we made,” Messi said Thursday in his first press conference with local media his arrival.
“I’m happy enjoying this new stage, and I’m enjoying the experience of living here in this country.”
Messi — the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion with Argentina — has scored nine goals in six Leagues Cup games. Inter Miami has won all six games.
Inter Miami’s next game is on Saturday night, on the road against Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup final, with kickoff set for 9 p.m. ET.
“Being able to get our first title would be beautiful for everyone,” Messi said of Inter Miami’s first final in franchise history.
Messi said “it’s a big surprise” playing in the Leagues Cup final this weekend, especially since he’s not the only newcomer to Inter Miami’s team in the last month. Joining Messi in Miami has been his former FC Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and even his longtime coach Tata Martino.
By making it to the final, Messi said the team already achieved one of its goals: Inter Miami has a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup — a tournament it has never played in since becoming a team in 2020.
“Ever since the competition started, we knew that it would be starting from scratch because there’s a new coach with the team, and like myself, other new players in the group. So, from the very beginning, we’ve done very well, thanks to the teammates already here,” Messi said.
“We knew, coming here, it was a chance to change things. This was a nice opportunity to start to change that.”
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN YET: Messi, Inter Miami defeat Philadelphia Union to reach Leagues Cup final
Messi’s departure from FC Barcelona after 21 years, and his rocky two-year stint with Paris Saint-Germain has been well-documented.
Messi said his arrival to Miami has been a vastly different and positive experience.
“I chose to come here. I wanted to come here. And it’s a decision we made with time. It wasn’t something we decided one day to the next. We are where we want to be. It’s a decision we made. That makes everything much easier and simpler,” Messi said.
“When I went to Paris, it wasn’t something I wanted. I didn’t want to leave Barcelona. In some ways, it was one day to the next. I had to adapt to somewhere completely different from where I lived all my life. But that’s totally different from my experience here.”
Much of Messi’s historic career has been played on natural grass, creating doubt he might not play in some MLS games in stadiums with synthetic turf.
Messi appeared open to the possibility when asked during his press conference.
“All of my lower leagues, I’ve always played on turf,” Messi said.
“That was a long time ago and it’s been a long time since I played on synthetic turf. But I have no problem adapting to turf again.”
Messi, who has vacationed in Miami before, says the area’s population of Hispanic people has aided his family’s adjustment.
Messi said he has appreciated the welcome he’s received from fans at home and away stadiums, and in public.
“It’s spectacular. It allows you to be at peace and happy. And we’re in the process of adapting,” Messi said.
Messi’s fast start, and potential Leagues Cup title, could bode well for contention for his eight Ballon d’Or trophy, given to the world’s best soccer player.
Messi said — at this stage of his career — he’s focused on goals he wants to help Inter Miami pursue.
“You can imagine that after winning the World Cup, which was the only thing I was missing, I’m much less thinking about the Ballon d’Or,” Messi said.
“The World Cup was my biggest prize, now I am enjoying the moment and honestly, I don’t think about it. If I win it, nice, and if I don’t then nothing happens.”
Watch Lionel Messi’s full press conference in Miami
