Major League Savior? The rebirth of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami
Lionel Messi is surely one of the greatest players that football has ever seen, and it seems every new challenge for the man they call 'La Pulga' is just another chance to show the world why he is a phenomenon.
A legend of FC Barcelona, with whom he won no less than four Champions League and dozens of league titles, Messi left his mark on football with the Catalan club.
But after almost 20 years with Barça, Messi was forced to leave his favorite club due to financial problems. He then joined PSG, with whom he played for two seasons.
Even if he was widely criticized within the French capital, often rightly so, he still managed to demonstrate the extent of his talent on several occasions.
After two troubled years in Paris, Messi finally parted ways and joined MLS and more particularly Inter Miami – last in the American championship rankings. And it seems like the Argentinian is enjoying this underdog status.
Messi never really seemed that happy in Parais, and that's down to a lot of reasons, but surely the fact that it wasn't really his choice had something to do with it. This time, Messi is exactly where he wants to be, making the decision to move to Miami over any other club at the start of the year – a club he will surely retire at.
His influence on David Beckham's club, alongside his former teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, has been felt since his debut in late July.
Messi arrived at Inter Miami during the championship break, which allowed him to play matches in the Leagues Cup, a competition between MLS and Liga MX clubs.
For his first match in new colors, the ex-Parisian has already started to make an impression. Opposed to Cruz Azul, Messi's club won 2-1 with a goal from the Argentinian scored at the very end of the match (90 + 4th).
A first victory marked by a decisive goal from the 2022 world champion, who will continue to demonstrate the full extent of his talent in the following meetings.
Facing Atlanta United in the next game, Messi again made an almost perfect copy. Two goals for the Argentinian, as well as an assist, will allow Miami to win 4-0.
Opposed to Orlando for his third game in the United States, Messi once again distinguished himself by scoring a double which again allowed Miami to win 3-1.
Lionel Messi loves taking on this role of savior with his new club, and he continues to prove it. Against Dallas, Miami led thanks to a goal from the Pulga at the start of the game, before being led 3-1, then 4-2.
But Inter Miami finally managed to equalize in the last moments of the match, thanks in particular to an exceptional free kick from Messi, which brought the score to 4-4.
The match was finally decided on penalties. Messi first scored his own before seeing his teammates finish the job, to finally win a fourth game in a row.
This exceptional debut of the sevenfold Ballon d'Or in his new colors represents more proof for football fans that Messi is one of the best players in the history of the game.
Messi doesn't look like slowing down either and could very quickly become the top scorer in the history of the club. This title was held by a former Argentina teammate Gonzalo Higuain, who scored 29 times for Miami.