After glory in Qatar, Messi turned Inter Miami into a global phenomenon

Lionel Messi went through his first year of football as world champion with the trail of Qatar 2022 always present and a rising magnetism to the point of attracting in an unprecedented way a country with little football tradition like the United States since he landed at Inter Miami.

Nobody resists him or looks at him the same way; The World Cup coronation gave him a blank check for the rest of his career. As the popular saying goes: "He who is a world champion does what he wants" and that is how he decided to emigrate to the American Major League Soccer (MLS) after finishing an erratic time at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

If there were people who did not want to receive him with laurels, it was the French, who suffered in the final, which is why they gave him a cold welcome after the World Cup, something that motivated his complaints. The wound was fresh and, although he finished Ligue 1 2022/23 as champion, with 16 goals in 31 games, the defeat in the round of 16 of the Champions League against Bayern Munich (3 to 0 on aggregate), left a taste little by little.

At the same time, the shower of awards began: in January, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics recognized him as Best International Goalscorer and Best Player in the World; In February, he received the main The Best FIFA award, in a memorable gala where he was accompanied by Emiliano 'DIbu' Martínez (Best Goalkeeper), and Lionel Scaloni.

Messi's statistics

With a total of 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 games, two leagues and a local Super Cup, Messi's time in his second club ended, and speculation arose of a possible return to Barcelona, as well as an arrival in Saudi Arabia. , where soccer grows into stars and the star is an ambassador of tourism. He himself revealed that both possibilities existed, but the projection of a quiet life in Miami was superior. At the beginning of June it was announced that he would arrive in the United States league, just as Pelé did in 1975.