Fans of Paris Saint-Germain traveled to the United States and briefly turned a street in Fort Lauderdale into a stage for a tight, pointed message about Lionel Messi. A banner unfurled by supporters associated with Collectif Ultras Paris sat near the Inter Miami stadium, bearing the provocative line: “Messi: we finally got rid of the brute.” The same group had previously displayed a similar banner during a Ligue 1 match against Lens, this time directed at Neymar following his departure from the club.
Messi spent two seasons with Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Inter Miami in the summer of 2023. In the most recent Ligue 1 campaign, he posted 16 goals and 16 assists across 32 matches, a tally that underscored his ongoing impact in France before his MLS transition.
Arriving in Major League Soccer in early June 2023, Messi wasted little time making his mark. He opened his Inter Miami career with a free-kick that announced his presence, and the early run of form extended to a streak of nine consecutive games with at least a goal or an assist, signaling the kind of influence his addition was supposed to bring to the club.
August 20 marked a milestone as Messi helped Inter Miami clinch the club’s first major American trophy. Inter Miami defeated Nashville on penalties to win the League Cup, a victory sealed by a 10-9 shootout score after a competitive final that capped a breakthrough season for the team in MLS play.
A former Inter Miami teammate noted the challenges of keeping focus on Messi amid the broader spotlight surrounding the high-profile transfer and the surrounding media attention. The comment reflected the demanding nature of adapting to a new league and a new city, where expectations were sky-high but the on-pitch contributions spoke loudly enough to justify the attention that followed Messi across continents. (Source: team press notes and match reports)