As for the effects of the world-renowned striker’s arrival on the U.S. football scene after his relocation to Inter Miami, Ibrahimovic stated that the former player has made the MLS interesting for many people in the country for the second time. It should be stressed that, according to the former striker of both the club and the Swedish national team, such actions on the part of Messi have played a role in making people interested in the league that was not as popular before.
To be more specific, Ibrahimovic said that there was a decline in the popularity of soccer after his relocation to the United States, so he was glad to see that the best football player in history decided to contribute to the growth of the sport in this country. It means that it is possible to say that the presence of Messi will encourage Americans to play this game.
This season, which is the summer of 2023, Messi became a member of Inter Miami after his time at Paris Saint-Germain. Messi began his time at Inter Miami in style as he scored a goal through a free kick during the first leg of what seemed like an early game. This performance showed the beginning of a new era for the club Inter Miami and also for the league as a whole, since the fans always like seeing great performances from the stars.
Throughout the 13 games played in the league for Inter Miami, Messi scored 11 goals and provided 5 assists. This shows how good Messi is as a goal scorer, but at the same time, it also proves that Messi is a great provider as he is able to assist his teammates in their goals. It can be said that with Messi in the team, the attacks become very unpredictable.
Messi got his first ever trophy in the continent of North America after winning the League Cup by being part of Inter Miami as they emerged victorious against Nashville in the League Cup final through penalties, 10-9. This was clear evidence of how a match in the MLS can be thrilling as the ones in Europe and therefore the league is not a joke. This is yet another achievement of this great footballer who keeps getting better and better in the league where he has helped raise the standard of play in the league.
In the recent games in the league, Messi had been absent in some of the games played by Inter Miami because of injuries. This shows that the team has really missed him a lot since they rely a lot on him for their results. The injury gave other players in the team a chance to show what they could do and help the team achieve their success. It became clear that despite the fact that the team has the best talent such as Messi, they need others to help them succeed too.
It is important to note that there were some rumors floating around at that time suggesting that Ronaldo was set to earn about double what Messi was going to earn in the year 2023. It is important to highlight that this information revealed the nature of the competitive market in North America where top footballers are concerned. It is also an illustration of how profitable salary talks can be in MLS, for both Ronaldo and Messi.