Football fans in the United States need not fear that Lionel Messi sees his new adventure at Inter Miami as a holiday. That says the Argentinian Gerardo Martino, who was appointed coach of the club on Wednesday.
“Sometimes we associate the United States, and Miami in particular, with vacation. But these are players who want to perform and compete,” Martino said of his compatriot Messi and Spaniard Sergio Busquets. Martino worked with both players ten years ago at FC Barcelona. He was also national coach of the Argentines for a while.
Martino is at Inter Miami, the club of former England international David Beckham, the successor to the fired Phil Neville. “I have always found this a challenge,” said Martino. “I believe that the American football league is constantly evolving. You can see that in the great American players who now play football in Europe.”
Messi is expected to make his debut for Inter Miami on July 21 in a League Cup match against Mexican club Cruz Azul.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.