Performance Of Lionel Messi: PSG vs Inter Miami – A Comparative Analysis. Lionel Messi, the Argentine talismanic striker shocked the footballing fraternity when he announced his move to the United States MLS from European football in June 2023. He joined Inter Miami FC, the lowest-ranked team in MLS on a free transfer. According to some estimates, Messi would be earning anything between $50-60 million annually. This is quite lower than what he would have been earning in Saudia Arabia’s football club Al-Hilal.
With a slump in his form since winning the FIFA World Cup 2022, there were doubts about whether he would add anything valuable to the team. However, he has shut down his critics with a splendid start to Inter Miami career.
Dream Start at Inter Miami
Messi made his debut for Inter Miami in a League Cup fixture against Cruz Azul. It was a Hollywood movie-like debut that saw Messi scoring a last-minute free kick to secure the tie for Inter Miami. The happiness on Messi’s face after scoring the all-important winning goal was there for everyone to see.
He continued his stupendous performance in the next three games. Messi scored a brace in all of them and was instrumental in taking Inter Miami to the quarter-finals of the League Cup. What made all these goals very special was the timing at which he scored them. He scored when the team needed him the most.
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In all his awe-inspiring performances, one thing stood apart. He is enjoying his time out in the middle. In total, Messi has donned the Inter Miami jersey six times and scored nine goals. The most outstanding part of his journey is that he has scored in all of the six matches that he has played. Messi has turned around the fortunes of Inter Miami by taking them to the finals of the League Cup.
Messi with the dream performance at Inter Miami has silenced his critics and haters like he always does. There was scepticism about whether Messi could still take his team all the way. However, his performance for Inter Miami in a new setting has once again consolidated his status as the GOAT.
Comparison With PSG
Messi’s Inter-Miami performance becomes more special when you compare it with his performance at PSG in the first season of 2021-22. There was much fanfare and noise about Messi becoming a part of the PSG family. Along with Mbappe and Neymar, they were the most feared attacking force in Europe. However, that season was one of his worst. He made 34 appearances during that season and scored only 11 goals.
Messi is well on track to surpass his goal tally in PSG’s first season just within a month of joining Inter Miami. Lionel Messi’s arrival on American shores has already provided a massive boost to MLS’s acceptance and viewership ratings. As long as he continues playing there, Major League Soccer and Inter Miami will remain the centre of attention among football lovers.
