After seeing Inter Miami’s blunder against the Chicago Fire, many fans are convinced that Lionel Messi isn’t going to be happy to return to the team.
Messi is set to miss some time from Inter Miami as he recovers and rests following a gruelling FIFA World Cup campaign.
But after seeing Rocco Novo, the Argentine goalkeeper for Inter Miami’s mistake against the Chicago Fire, he might want to extend his time away from the team.
Inter Miami goalkeeper’s brutal mistake goes viral amid Lionel Messi absence
During Inter Miami’s game against the Chicago Fire, Rocco Novo asked Facundo Mura to pass him the ball as the Fire players continued to press high up the field.
However, as he tried to clear the ball, Novo completely mistimed his kick, and it resulted in an own-goal that gave the Fire a 1-0 lead.
As soon as the clip of this incident emerged on X, it went viral as many fans remarked on the level of play in the MLS, less than a week after one of the best FIFA World Cup campaigns came to an end.
One fan wrote, “Messi wasn’t crying because he lost the World Cup, he was crying because he knew he had to go back to this.”
Another fan continued the joke, adding, “Is he just playing in MLS for s—- and giggles or what?”
A third fan used this as an opportunity to praise Messi, noting, “Dawg, Messi has been carrying s— players all his life!”
“You mean go back to this freedom? Weak league, everybody gets goals and assists, defenders keep making mistakes,” wrote a fourth fan who suggested Messi enjoys the seemingly low level of play in the MLS.
A fifth fan remarked, “Bro won the World Cup and 8 Ballon d’Ors just to play against Chicago Fire in 95°F heat on a Tuesday afternoon.”
And one final fan lamented Messi not playing in the top leagues in Europe, saying, “Such a shame, man, should’ve been in Europe this whole time.”
Lionel Messi’s FIFA World Cup stats showed he can still play in Europe if he wants to
Coming into the tournament, few could have predicted Lionel Messi to have the kind of campaign that he did with Argentina.
Not only did he help lead Argentina back to the World Cup final, but he also did so while still being the best player on the team by a comfortable margin at 39 years of age.
Many people had presumed that Messi would be a diminished version of himself at this age and wouldn’t deliver the performances we saw from him in his prime.
But the magician from Rosario managed to bag eight goals and four assists in the tournament. And even though his performance in the final against Spain was unremarkable, it doesn’t take away from his stellar campaign.
Many fans believe that Messi reminded the world that, even at his age and after playing in the MLS, he is still one of the best players in the world and could easily thrive at the highest level.
Perhaps he finds an opportunity to return to FC Barcelona before he ends his career, as such a legendary chapter of his career ending on such a sour note won’t sit right with him in the long run.
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