Lionel Messi left Paris Saint-Germain this past summer. The capital club let the 36-year-old leave via free agency, and he eventually decided to join Inter Miami.
Messi’s arrival in South Florida began on a high note as Inter Miami won Leagues Cup 2023. However, the good times didn’t last long as the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner began to deal with injuries, leading him to miss games.
With the former PSG star out of the lineup, Inter Miami failed to make the MLS playoffs after a terrible start before the Argentine arrived this summer. Messi gave an honest take over his first season in South Beach.
“I am proud of everything the team accomplished this season,” Messi wrote in a post on Instagram (h/t GOAL). “With everyone’s work and effort, we were able to win the leagues cup winning the first title in the history of Inter Miami, we reached the final of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and we were even fighting to get into the Playoffs of MLS until the last moment.
“We are left with all the good things and above all with the desire to improve to be even more competitive next year. I would like to thank all the people at the club and the city of Miami for the support they always give us. I am sure that we will continue to live incredible moments together as has happened in recent months. A hug for everyone!”
2024 will be Messi’s first full MLS season; perhaps these months off might benefit him. However, the other side of the coin is that it could also allow him to accumulate rust, considering he might be used to this amount of time off since next season doesn’t start until February.
