MESSI x Football

Explained: The ‘negative impact’ Lionel Messi has made at Inter Miami & why some fans ‘expected more’ from eight-time Ballon d’Or winner
Chris Burton
28-Nov-2023 16:59+05:30

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Lionel Messi Inter Miami 2023Getty
L. Messi
MLS
Inter Miami
United States
Lionel Messi helped Inter Miami to their first trophy in 2023, but he has made a “negative impact” of sorts and some fans “expected more” from him.

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Argentine icon made immediate impact in the States
Has already changed the game in America
Positives and negatives to be taken from his presence
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The Argentine icon captured the imagination of an American audience when completing a stunning move to the United States. He delivered Leagues Cup glory within weeks of his arrival in Florida, but sat out the U.S. Open Cup final through injury and was unable to claim a play-off spot in the MLS Eastern Conference.

Lionel Messi Inter Miami 2023Getty
WHAT WAS SAID ABOUT MESSI
Messi’s presence in Miami has also meant that the club are no longer as connected with an ever-growing fan base as they once were, with Mike Longin of the Green Lot Gang supporters’ group telling The Guardian: “What made Inter Miami special early on was we had a great supporter group and ownership was really close with the fans. My son has thrown an American football back and forth with [co-owner] Jorge Mas. I’ve drunk a beer with David Beckham. The club did a lot to build outreach. It’s different now. It’s gone from a family atmosphere to a professional atmosphere, which you’d expect. We were a young club and we grew up overnight.”

He added: “[Messi’s arrival] has had a somewhat negative impact on the match experience, because so many people are only there to see Messi; they don’t care about the rest of the team. When he’s not playing and he’s in his box in the stand, people are jumping over chairs to try and see him. We knew things would change. But we weren’t prepared for how much it would change and how much it would feel different. Messi didn’t play our last home game, and it was kind of nice to feel like this was the old stadium, this was the old tailgate. It kind of felt normal, and then Messi walked into his box, and it was, ‘OK, Messi is here. This is the new normal.’”

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When Lionel Messi was a child, he was just a boy who dreamed of becoming a football player. On that day, however, he sat at the table in his room, picked up a piece of paper and a pen and began to write: "Antonela."

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In the letter the little boy wrote to a little girl, there was such a sentence: “One day, we will get engaged.”

This is a love story worth making a movie.

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Leonel Messi, a little boy who dreamed of becoming a football player, was born in 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. Antonela Rocuzzo, a beautiful and lovely girl, was born in 1986. The story takes place at the home of Messi's friend Lucas Scaglia.

When the two met for the first time, Messi was playing Sony games at Lucas's home and Lucas. When Antonella approached them and asked if they needed something, Messi was too shy to say anything.

At that time, Messi was nine years old and Antonella was eight years old.

“Who is she?” Messi ate and asked her friend. “Antonela, my cousin,” her friend replied.

During those two days, he could not look away from her for a second. The two children became friends, but at that time Messi knew that he wanted to be with her forever.

After that, the young Messi often fell in the house of his buddy Lucas, hoping to meet his beautiful cousin. Because he knows that this woman will become his partner after many years.

Trainer Enrique Dominguez found Lucas' father and asked what happened.

“What is Messi standing there?” he asked.

“He is waiting for us to leave because he wants to come to our house,” Lucas's father replied loudly.

“He often goes to your home, why is it so anxious now?” Enrique Dominguez asked.

“Because the weekend is coming, Lucas' cousin Antonela is coming. Messi likes her,” Lucas's father said.

Leo Messi soon worshipped under the pomegranate skirt of Antonela Rocuzzo. Messi often writes to her, and he told her that when they grow up, she will be his girlfriend.

Messi was there, found a group of close friends, and a woman who made him more passionate about life.

However, the couple took a long road.

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The two young hearts became close friends and they had a lot of fun together. But one day, life separated them. It was in 2000, when Messi's father, George Messi, decided to travel to Barcelona with his family.

After that, the relationship between Messi and Antonela stayed for a while. They tried to stay in touch, but because the contact tools were not so convenient and the communication was not smooth, the contact between the two became less and less.

In 2005, a friend of Antonela died in a traffic accident. At that time, Antonella was only 17 years old and was in a bad mood. She did not go to school for several days. Messi got the news and immediately flew to Argentina to come to her side. He has been there to comfort her.

It was then that their relationship had progressed. Messi and Antonella felt their deeper feelings towards each other, but they chose not to disclose it.

Soon, Messi returned to Barcelona, and Antonella began studying dentistry at the National University of Rosario. This relationship was not made until Messi was 21 years old. Antonella's friend said that she revealed her relationship with Messi on July 20, 2007.

The public discovered their relationship in 2009. In an interview, Messi was asked about his personal life. He said that there is a girl in Argentina.

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Although the greatest football player is Antonella's favorite, she doesn't like football at all. She feels that football is very boring. Messi made it clear in several interviews: “She is tired of football. When I returned home and said, 'I scored two goals or I played a hat trick,' she was not interested.”

The wedding took place at the Rosario Downtown building and the Pullman Hotel. Many football stars come to the wedding. A couple of childhood couples will eventually become dependents.

Famous guests include Messi's teammates from FC Barcelona, such as Luis Suarez, Neymar, Colombian pop star Shakira. Teammates from the Argentine football team also attended the wedding.

Messi is very satisfied with his marriage life. Antonela is the luckiest girl in the world because she married the sweetheart of childhood. Obviously, the love story of Messi and Antonella is destined to be a great story. The wedding of Messi and Antonella is only a matter of time. Messi knows that he loves her, and Antonella has enough patience to wait for him to realize his dreams and then to marry her.

We wish their small families better and better, and hope that they will live happily forever.

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This photo steals my ❤️
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King or GOAT ?
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8 Crazy One
Awarded by France Football magazine, the Ballon d’Or has been given out to men every year since 1956. Both 2020 awards were cancelled because the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the season.

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or a record seven times, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won it five times. On October 30, 2023, the FIFA World Cup winner added another trophy to his cabinet, winning his eight at the at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday.
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Messi 😭
8th Golden Ball

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8 th Ballon D'or loading.....
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Chill🥺
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*Could have won the World Cup in 2010*
Messi has represented Argentina throughout his international career, but he could have been wearing the red of Spain had he accepted an offer to join the national team of the country where he had spent 17 years of his professional career. After spending his childhood in Barcelona, he was eligible to play for the 2010 world champions, but Messi says the idea never crossed his mind. The rest, as they say, is history as he has gone on to become Argentina’s all-time top scorer.