This past summer, Lionel Messi left Paris Saint-Germain. The 36-year-old was allowed to leave the capital club through free agency, and he ultimately chose to sign with Inter Miami.
Messi’s move to South Florida got off to a great start as Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup in 2023. The happy days did not last long, though, as the 2022 FIFA World Cup champion started to experience injuries that forced him to miss games.
After a disastrous start before the Argentine arrived this summer, Inter Miami failed to make the MLS playoffs with the former PSG star out of the squad. Messi provided an open assessment of his first year at South Beach.
Messi expressed his pride at the team’s accomplishments in a message on Instagram (h/t GOAL). “Thanks to everyone’s hard work and dedication, we were able to win the league cup, the first championship in Inter Miami’s history, advance to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final, and battle all the way to the MLS Playoffs.”
Messi’s first full MLS season will be in 2024; perhaps six months off would help him. On the other hand, given that the start of the following season isn’t until February, it might also allow him to pick up rust because he might be accustomed to taking this much time off.