Third worst team in the competition and no big stars. What’s in store for Messi at Inter Miami?

Lionel Messi has shown that money is far from everything to him. He turned down an astronomical sum from Saudi Arabia, but unfortunately he is not even returning to Barcelona. After his stint in Paris, he’s heading to Miami. What awaits him at Inter?

The American Football League has a lot to look forward to. A huge star will join the ranks of Inter Miami. The greatest player in football history. Lionel Messi is leaving Europe and European football at the age of 35, the end of a great era.

The Argentine phenomenon can look forward to a relatively comfortable life, but hopefully his family will not be too bad to live with in Florida. But what about the sporting side?

MLS is still on the rise. New sponsorship deals and various agreements confirm this. Plus, there’s a growing interest in soccer in the US. There are already more people going to soccer games here than, for example, the NBA or MLB.

Last season, there was even a record attendance here. On average, 21 033 spectators attended each game. In total, more than 10 million fans came to the stadiums.

This season, the average attendance in Miami is more than 16,500. This figure can be expected to rise significantly with the arrival of Messi.

American teams boast modern facilities, beautiful new stadiums and the overall environment is simply different.

According to Global Football Rankings, the US MLS is currently the 16th best competition in the world. Inter Miami is the worst team in the league according to the website.

What is waiting for Messi in Miami?

Inter Miami is in its fourth season in MLS. So far, it hasn’t been a great success. Twice the Florida team has made it to the playoffs, both times finishing in the first round.

And this year isn’t going well either. Miami is the third worst team in the league. They are last in the Eastern Conference, have only 15 points in 16 games, and have lost five games in a row in the league. Only two teams in the Western Conference are worse.

Although the team is owned by David Beckham, many of the bigger names have not played for the club. Gonzalo Higuaín has been the biggest star so far, and Blaise Matuidi also deserves a mention.

The current roster doesn’t offer many well-known names either. European fans may remember more or less only DeAndre Yedlin, who was at Newcastle, Corentin Jean with experience from Ligue 1 or former Shakhtar Donetsk player and Ukrainian international Sergiy Kryvtsov.

The average age of the team without Messi is 24.2 years, so this will be a big thing for his new teammates. None of them have ever met a player of similar calibre. Not even close.

But that will make the whole story all the more interesting. Can Messi carry Miami to success? Can he lift this team up? And how will he actually approach football? A possible loosening up in his personal life could put him back on the performance track.

Source: Inter Miami, Transfermarkt, Global Football Rankings