More than two months have passed since Lionel Messi announced his decision to continue his career in the United States. The wait for his debut was long, but it was worth it: the best player in the world is tearing up North American football. On Sunday night Moscow time, the world champion took the Leagues Cup trophy (44th in his career) and became the most titled football player in the world. Sports correspondent shares his impressions of how the Argentine wins the love of America.
Messi, having learned from the bitter experience of leaving Barcelona, decided not to delay the decision about his future and immediately after the end of the season in Europe announced that he was moving to North America. With PSG, he finally quarreled, the financial difficulties of the Catalans did not allow him to return to Barcelona. In the choice between the Saudi championship and MLS, preference was given to the latter tournament. Yes, they gave less money overseas, but the usual life and comfort for the family in the resort of Miami.
But Messi came to the US not to relax on the beach, but to play football, especially since his Inter has big plans for Leo. The Argentine should not only become the flagship of the Floridians, but also help them with titles. David Beckham's club has only recently come into being and has not yet acquired any history or trophies … The signing of the best player in the world immediately made the team a favorite for any tournament.
However, the Americans did not rush. The Argentine's debut has been postponed until the Leagues Cup, a US mid-season competition featuring Mexican, American and Canadian clubs. And during Leo's vacation, the team strengthened, inviting his old friend Tata Martino to the post of coach and adding Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, former Messi partners at Barca.
The start of the rested Messi in the updated team turned out to be phenomenal. In the first match, coming on as a substitute in the game with the Mexican Cruz Azul, Leo brought Inter a victory with a free-kick in the last minute. Then there were three doubles in a row at the gates of “Atlanta”, “Orlando” and “Dallas”; another ball flew into the gates of “Charlotte”, “Philadelphia” and “Nashville” in the decisive stages of the playoffs. Goals from free kicks, goals with the right foot, goals for every taste! The Argentine scored ten times in seven matches of the off-season tournament, becoming the best player in the draw. «100%» height=»100%» allow=»autoplay; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;» frameborder=»0″ allowfullscreen=»»>
And this despite the fact that he got into a team that is in last place in the MLS regular season and risks not even getting into the playoffs. “Inter” started the season very weakly, fired Phil Neville, who worked as head coach, and by the break in the Leagues Cup did not win in 11 matches in a row.
And with Messi, the team won seven matches in a row and won their first trophy in history.
Of course, the secondary status of the cup also played its role in winning the trophy. Many teams do not play at full strength, coaches give the leaders a break. And Inter, just before the tournament, seriously strengthened: not only Messi, but also Alba and Busquets regularly go to the base. The defensive midfielder leads the team's game in the middle of the field, and the left-back manages to help both in defense and in attack (Alba scored a goal plus two assists).
The low level of resistance, the focus of American clubs on attacking actions also helps. The MLS, like all other professional leagues in the United States, is first and foremost a business that does everything possible to increase the entertainment of matches. Messi gets unprecedented freedom on the field and no one bothers him to create — to score and assist.
So, Leo scored his second goal for Inter, running one on one from the center of the field after a pass from Busquets and finishing the ball into the goal after his own hit into the bar. None of the defenders could stop him. Yes, and Messi brought all the rest of his goals into the asset, striking almost without resistance. Giving such freedom to the best player in the world is simply suicidal.
However, Inter and Messi have a more difficult test ahead. The club will have to get out of the bottom of the MLS table and try to get into the playoffs. The Floridians are 12 points away from the play-in zone (a qualifying tournament for getting into the playoffs), and it will not be easy to win back such a gap at the end of the season. The level of resistance will rise, the team will travel around the country — Messi and his partners will definitely not succeed in an easy walk.
But Leo has already shown that he did not come to America to serve his number. And with the game he shows at Inter, nothing is impossible for his team.