‘The Moment, The Situation And My Age’: Lionel Messi Explains Why He Changed His Style Of Play For Inter Miami
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Messi acknowledged he changed his playing style to adapt to the American top flight in the closing stretch of his career. He also evealed that he started reinventing himself and adapted to the league, which was new for him.
Lionel Messi. (AP Photo)
Lionel Messi recently shed light on how he had to ‘reinvent’ his playing style in Major League Soccer (MLS) because of his age. The Argentine legend joined Inter Miami as a free agent in July 2023. Talking about his move to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano for 433, Messi acknowledged he changed his playing style to adapt to the American top flight in the closing stretch of his career.
“I’ve changed my style of play because of the moment, the situation and my age,” he said, as per ESPN. Speaking further the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner added, “I am adapting a little bit to everything. I started reinventing myself and adapting to the league, which for me was new. I felt very comfortable from the beginning.”
Messi broke the internet when he announced his move away from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to Inter Miami in the summer of last year. The Argentine FIFA World Cup winner thought it best to quit European football and set off on a new journey on a different continent.
Messi was also, reportedly, not happy during his time in the French capital. It motivated him further to move away from Europe to the MLS. Since he arrived in the league, Messi has broken a ton of records. Messi now has his eyes set on winning the MLS Cup with Inter Miami this season.
Speaking about his journey so far, Messi told Romano, “To build a club you need to win titles. The club was coming off a bad year in MLS [in 2023] and a little bit after my arrival we won the Leagues Cup, the first trophy for the club.”
He also emphasized how Inter Miami are completely focused on the playoff stage. “It was extraordinary for us, and now we are eager to play these playoffs and hopefully be able to win the MLS Cup. On the personal level and most importantly for the club that has done so much for it to happen,” he added.
A Messi-led Inter Miami recently took down Atlanta United in the first match of Round One of the Best-of-three Playoff series. They won the fixture 2-1 at the Chase Stadium. The Herons will now head to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, November 3. A victory will see them clinch a spot in the Easter Conference semi-finals, bringing them a step closer to their goal.
