Messi proud of ‘incredible moments’ in first season at Miami،
Lionel Messi said he was “proud” of his team’s achievements in his first season at Inter Miami despite missing the MLS playoffs.
Inter Miami ended the campaign with a 1-0 loss to Charlotte FC on Saturday, with Messi playing the entire match.
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“I am proud of everything the team has achieved this season,” Messi said in a post on Instagram.
Thanks to everyone’s work and effort, we managed to win the Leagues Cup, winning the first title in the history of Inter Miami CF, we reached the final of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and we We even beat ourselves to reach the MLS playoffs, practically until the last moment.
“We still have all the good things left and above all the desire to improve to be even more competitive next year. I would like to thank everyone at the club and the city of Miami for the support they always give us . I am sure that we will continue to experience incredible moments together as has happened in recent months.”
Messi, 36, finished with 11 goals in 14 appearances for Inter Miami this season. The team was 8-2-4 in those games; seven of these matches were for the team to win its first ever trophy, the Leagues Cup. The Argentina captain also appeared in five MLS matches, starting three times and scoring one goal.
Messi made a semifinal appearance at the US Open Cup, but a hamstring injury derailed his season and essentially ended Inter Miami’s chances of making the playoffs.
Miami went 1-3-3 in seven matches without Messi after joining the club. He was able to play as a substitute on October 7 against FC Cincinnati, but Inter Miami lost 1–0 in a defeat that sealed their elimination from the playoffs.
The arrival of the Argentine striker in the United States caused a sharp increase in sales of tickets and related products.
Inter Milan owner-manager Jorge Mas said earlier this month that “everything has changed” since Messi arrived at the club.
The MLS club announced its first overseas tour earlier this month and will play two exhibition matches in China on November 5 and 8.
The former Barcelona star will then join the Argentina squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil.
