It used to be said that David Beckham’s transition gave a great impetus to the development and popularization of soccer in the United States. It only seems that now it seems that it is just a local party in the face of the general madness that is happening after the appearance of Messi.
No wonder they used to say about Lionel that he was an alien. The level of soccer in North America has grown steadily in recent years, so it is no longer necessary to call it low. However, although there is a feeling that the Argentine seems to have gone out into the yard to play with fans. This, of course, is not the case, but just look at how Leo literally transformed the weakest team in MLS in just a few matches.
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Free kick winner in stoppage time on debut? Eat. Double in less than half an hour in the first appearance in the starting eleven? Of course. Another, already on duty, a couple of goals in the next game? Necessarily. It would seem that at some point Messi should stop, take a break, take a breather and just relax. But this is not about him.
Another fancy match took place in the League Cup round of 16 against Dallas. Already in the sixth minute, the group of Barcelona friends worked: Jordi Alba joined the attack and rolled the ball to the penalty line right at Leo’s feet. The Argentine, of course, was not mistaken: he immediately hit right into the corner of the goal. After that, Messi decided to play as an assistant, but Joseph Martinez missed a 100 percent chance to score, and Robert Taylor was unable to get past the opponent’s goalkeeper, although not at such a clear moment. In another case, the Argentine was directly involved in the goal: his deep pass into the penalty area was Alba’s second assist.
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But even after such heroism, Inter Miami’s position was not very good: 2:4. And then Messi decided to take matters into his own hands: ten minutes before the end of his cup from a free kick, the defender sliced the ball into his own net, and five minutes later he put another luxurious free kick into the top nine. Next is a penalty shootout. Of course, Messi scored, reaching the point first. By the way, the five Inter players were not missing, including his Catalan friend Sergio Busquets.
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And viewers not only in Miami, but throughout the United States are already slowly beginning to get used to such magical nights, when they can watch the game of a unique football player. It’s crazy that even a genius like Leo, completely without mercy after more than a month without football, calmly goes out and works wonders. It’s just the beginning.
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By the way, not only football fans are delighted, but also sponsors. The number of subscriptions to MLS broadcasts on AppleTV grew by one and a half times, and Adidas does not have time to replenish stores with Argentine jerseys, which can already be ordered at best by October. The madness around Messi does not stop, and he himself does not allow the hype to subside, confirming his status as a “foreigner”.
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Where are you haters, do you still think he went to end the game?