‘League-worst’ Miami wins title in a month…’44 trophies’ Messi’s magic→Beckham says “I’m the GOAT! I’m proud”

Lionel Messi has collected trophies since joining Inter Miami. Even owner David Beckham admitted that signing Messi was a great move.

Inter Miami defeated Nashville 10-9 on penalties in the 2023 League Cup final at Geordie’s Park in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. ET, after the match finished 1-1 in regulation. With the win, Inter Miami earned its first title in the organization’s history.

On the day, Inter Miami deployed a 4-3-3 formation. Messi, Martinez, and Tyler were up front, while Kremasic, Busquets, and Arroyo formed the midfield. The back four was Yedlin, Kryftov, Miller, and Alba, with Calendar in goal. Nashville, who play in the same Major League Soccer (MLS) Eastern Conference as Inter Miami, countered with Picoult, Surridge, McCarty, and Zimmerman.

The first goal belonged to Inter Miami. In the 23rd minute, Messi rattled the net with a left-footed curling shot from outside the penalty box. But 12 minutes into the second half, Nashville equalized. The 1-1 score would not change. Eventually, the game went to penalty kicks.

Massey took the first kick and converted. Nashville’s second kicker, Rial, missed and the momentum shifted in Inter Miami’s favor. However, Inter Miami’s #5 kicker Uroa missed. The game finally came down to the 11th kick, which was converted by Inter’s Calderon, but missed by Nashville’s Panico.

The result was Inter Miami’s first championship in franchise history. Messi was at the center of it all. Messi came out of Barcelona’s youth academy and burst onto the first team scene in 2004. An immensely talented player, Messi quickly became the team’s ace in the hole. His long run of top-notch performances made him an iconic figure for the club.

However, in the summer of 2021, his time with the club came to an abrupt end. At the end of his contract and contemplating his future, Messi decided to sign a contract extension with Barcelona, but the club’s financial problems prevented him from doing so. The unexpected departure left Messi in tears during his final press conference.

Messi then moved on to a new challenge at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). In his first season, he scored six goals and provided 14 assists in 26 Ligue 1 games. It was pointed out that his performances weren’t as good as they were at Barcelona, but it was just an adjustment period. Messi had his best season last season. He scored 16 goals and provided 16 assists in 32 league games. He produced an average of one offensive point per game.

However, he ended his association with PSG after the season. In the meantime, there was controversy. Messi traveled to Saudi Arabia, and it was alleged that the trip was not authorized by PSG. Messi apologized, but speculation about his future continued. Eventually, it was confirmed that he would leave before the league final.

Barcelona and Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) were among the teams that were after Messi. Barcelona’s president Juan Laporta and coach Xavi Hernandez publicly called for Messi’s return. In fact, it was reported that the two had met with Messi to convince him to stay. Al Hilal, with its vast oil wealth, made a staggering offer of €400 million a year to sign Messi.

Of the two options, Messi considered returning to Barcelona. But structurally, it wasn’t easy. Players would have to be released or take salary cuts to make room for Messi. “I didn’t want to put my future in someone else’s hands like I did two years ago,” Messi said of the complicated situation. Nor did he choose Al Hilal.

Instead, Messi was headed to a new destination, the American Major League Soccer (MLS). That team was Inter Miami. In early June, the Miami Herald reported that “Messi is moving to Inter Miami. The contract is for two and a half years. It could be worth up to $150 million, including salary, bonuses, and a stake in the team.”

Inter Miami also made a few posts on their official channels that seemed to hint at Messi joining the club. However, the official announcement didn’t come right away, and the club went through the motions of the transfer. Then, finally, it was official.

Inter Miami announced the signing of Messi on the club’s website on March 16, saying, “We are pleased to announce the signing of seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion Messi. He will join the team in the coming days. The contract runs until 2025.”

Messi’s debut came about a week later. Inter Miami hosted Cruz Azul in the first leg of their LigueScup group stage on March 22. Inter Miami was in a group with Cruz Azul (Mexico) and Atlanta United (USA) at the time.

Messi came on as a substitute in the ninth minute of the game against Cruz Azul with the team leading 1-0. However, Cruz Azul equalized shortly afterward, making the score 1-1. Just as the game was about to end, something magical happened in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

Messi stepped up to take a free kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time from the front of the penalty box. The ball landed in the corner of the goal. The goal proved to be the winner. Thanks to Messi’s debut goal, Inter Miami won their first League Cup match and broke a six-match winless streak (three draws and three losses) dating back to early June.

It didn’t end there. Messi’s performance continued throughout the tournament. In the second group game against Atlanta, Messi completed his multi-goal performance in the first 22 minutes. Keeping the momentum going, Inter Miami added another goal from Tyler in the 44th minute to make it 3-0 at halftime. It was the first time in franchise history that the club had led by more than three goals at halftime.

After breezing through the group stage, Inter Miami advanced to the League Cup final in a blaze of glory. Along the way, they showed off their offensive prowess. Between a 3-1 win over Orlando City in the round of 32, a 4-4 draw (on penalties) with Dallas in the round of 16, a 4-0 win over Charlotte in the quarterfinals, and a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Union in the semifinals, Inter scored a total of 15 goals. That’s an average of nearly four goals per game.

Finally, they swept Nashville to win the championship. Messi was a key player, scoring goals in seven straight games and 10 total. Naturally, the top scorer and Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors went to Messi, who also added a trophy to his collection just one month after joining Inter Miami and entering the American MLS scene. It was Messi’s 44th career trophy.

Messi has won tons of trophies during his time at Barcelona. He won the Spanish La Liga title 10 times. He has also won the Copa del Rey seven times and the UEFA Champions League (UCL) four times. He has also won 35 other trophies, including three UEFA Super Cups and three Club World Cups. After moving to PSG, he won two Ligue 1 titles and one French Cup.

He also won titles with his national team. In fact, Messi has been criticized for not being able to replicate his dominance at Barcelona with the Argentina national team. With the Olympic team, he won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but the A team was far from winning for a long time. He never crossed the threshold. They lost in the final of the Copa America twice and finished runners-up at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after an extended battle.

However, they finally won the 2021 Copa America. Argentina defeated arch-rivals Brazil. Then came the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Messi declared his “last dance. Messi’s performance in the group stage was incredible. The Argentine players rallied around him to win. Finally, Messi lifted the World Cup trophy. They also beat Italy in the finale, which pitted the South American champion against the European champion.

Football Twitter compared Inter Miami’s performance before and after Messi’s arrival. The club won its first title in its history. This happened five years after the club was founded and just one month after Messi joined. The club had gone 11 games without a win before Messi joined, but they won all seven of their Ligue 1 matches in which he played. 토토사이트

The club’s owner, Beckham, was overjoyed to experience his first title. “We have signed the greatest player of all time. I’m so proud of him,” he said, adding that signing Messi was the best choice he could have made.

Meanwhile, the Revolution, who are back on a winning streak in the United States, will now look to continue their run in the regular season. Inter Miami currently sits in 15th place in the Eastern Conference after 22 games in the 2023 MLS regular season. Five wins, three draws, and 14 losses in 22 games. They are 17 points out of the seventh final playoff spot and 12 points out of the ninth final playoff spot.