27 August 2023 , 17:13
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Lionel Messi has hypnotised his own Inter Miami teammates. Defender Kamal Miller admitted after Saturday night's win over the New York Red Bulls that he sometimes struggled to focus on the field when sharing the pitch with the Argentine legend.
"I just catch myself watching him instead of picking up on my assignment," Miller said. "It's tough to stay focused when you have such a great presence."
Messi played 30 minutes as a substitute in the 2-0 win, with manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino giving in to the fans at Red Bull Arena, who chanted "we want Messi" throughout the match. The star attraction dazzled as usual, scoring from a brilliant team move to seal the victory.
It ensured another packed stadium of visiting fans came away satisfied that they shelled out exorbitant sums of money to catch a glimpse of the World Cup winner.
Inter Miami, one of MLS' worst clubs during the campaign's first half, have yet to lose with Messi in the squad. They claimed the Leagues Cup and have advanced to the U.S. Open Cup final through a dramatic comeback this past week.
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Despite Martino warning he could rest Messi after he played 120 minutes in the mid-week fixture against FC Cincinnati, the coach granted the attacker a half hour to contribute against the Red Bulls.
"When we found out that he wouldn't be starting, I expected there was going to be a couple angry fans," right-back DeAndre Yedlin told reporters. "But if I was a kid or a fan and I came, I would want to see the greatest to ever play the game, as well, so I can't blame them [for the chanting]."
Lionel Messi has helped turn around Inter Miami's season, though they remain at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for now (Getty Images)Miller, 26, is part of a demographic that grew up watching Messi dominate La Liga and the Champions League at Barcelona. He could have never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would ever play competitive matches in the same colours as a football icon he had admired from afar for so many years.
The centre-back has spent most of his career in MLS, competing for CF Montreal and Orlando City before joining Inter Miami through a trade earlier this year. The clean sheet against the Red Bulls was one of his new club's best defensive performances of the campaign, particularly encouraging after they conceded three times to FC Cincinnati the previous outing.
With that kind of result, Martino won't mind his players being a bit caught up in Messi mania. They'll need to keep it up, though, as they are 14th in the Eastern Conference in MLS.
"It's pretty surreal to see. He's probably the only man in the world that can get that kind of respect and reception every stadium he goes to," Miller said, adding on the golden trio of Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, "It's like just instinct to them now. They don't even have to think where each other are going to be. They know where each other want the ball."