Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami last summer made the Florida franchise the hottest ticket in all of American sports.
MLS games featuring the Argentine quickly became sell-out events with some tickets going for thousands of dollars, with soccer fans and even those unfamiliar with the game all desperate to watch Messi play in the flesh.
Yet this season has been an awkward one for this type of supporters, with Messi missing the last 12 games for Inter Miami, even with the Herons qualifying for the play-offs and having top players on their roster, such as Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
And former Inter Miami captain DeAndre Yedlin has shared his thoughts on Messi not playing in recent weeks.
‘No secret’ that fans want to watch Messi play for Inter Miami
Speaking to the press, the now-FC Cincinnati defender revealed that ‘it’s no secret’ that everyone wants to see Messi play for Inter Miami, a luxury fans haven’t experienced since the start of June, with the forward currently out through injury.
Indeed, Messi has made Inter Miami the most desired team to watch in all of US sports in the last 12 months, and supporters are somewhat justified in their disappointment that the Argentine hasn’t been available for as many games as expected this year.
Yedlin said when asked about how MLS fans must feel when Messi isn’t available to play for Inter Miami: “It’s no secret that everyone wants to watch Messi play.
“For me, he is the greatest of all time and when it’s announced that he will play, every stadium is sold out. If he doesn’t play, people get disappointed, even if they get to see Suarez, Busquets, Alba, people want to see Messi.”
Fans should be understanding about Messi’s fitness this year
At 37-years-old and nearly two decades of regular soccer at the highest level, it’s perhaps no real surprise that Messi’s fitness has hit as turbulent a patch as it has for Inter Miami this season.
And whilst fans can be annoyed that the attacker is out injured, there needs to be an understanding that Messi is an athlete and getting injured is part of the job, with the forward doing all he can to return to action as soon as possible.
Indeed, Inter Miami suffered the consequences of rushing Messi back from injury last year, and the lessons learned have helped the Herons a lot in their bid to win the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup this season.