Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi continues to be one of the most idolized soccer players in the world, and there’s no real shock as to why.
The Argentine has won just about everything there is to win in the game on a domestic and international level. Messi was recently ranked the 27th-best soccer player of the year.
While his on-field achievements are of course impressive it’s his ability to help others that doesn’t go unnoticed.
Former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe recently hailed Messi’s influence, while Angel Di Maria named Messi the ‘best thing’ to happen to his career.
The record-winning Ballon d’Or winner is no stranger to praise and Corinthians star Rodrigo Garro has become the latest to praise the World Cup winner.
His relationship with Messi extends far beyond just being a fan.
Messi helped Garro start soccer career
While many young players will see the biggest soccer stars as idols for their ability on the pitch, it appears Messi is much more than that to certain people.
It has long been known that Messi is a UNICEF ambassador and has his own foundation simply named the Leo Messi Foundation.
Formed in 2007 it was born with the idea that children should all have the same opportunities to realise their dreams. They aim to support based on health, education and sport, and one star who has benefitted from this is Garro.
According to journalist Rafael Reis, Garro started out with Fundación Leo Messi, an academy sponsored by Messi, spending three years with them. He would eventually go on to join the academy of Atletico de Rafaela.
Garro has not looked back on his footballing career since then and recently spoke out about his love for Inter Miami’s Messi and how he would love to play with him.
He said: “For me, Messi is a legend. I never had the chance to see him, so imagine what it would be like to play with him.”
What to know about Rodrigo Garro
At the age of 26, Garro is now in his soccer prime and has spent the last year with Brazilian giants Corinthians where he plays as an attacking midfielder.
Inter Miami recently signed their own attacking midfielder Bailey Sparks, as well as striker Michael Appiah in the MLS SuperDraft.
Garro has never represented his country of Argentina but he has begun to find some goal-scoring form scoring 11 goals in 42 matches for Corinthians.
While Garro may not be able to boast the same amount of individual achievements as Messi, very few can. Here’s a look at his accolades.
- Argentine Primera División Team of the Season: 2023
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2024
- Prêmio Craque da Galera: 2024
- Bola de Prata: 2024
- Troféu Mesa Redonda Best Foreign Player: 2024
New manager Javier Mascherano may well have his ears pricked at the comments of Garro wanting to play with Messi, it has been no secret that Inter Miami have been keen to bring in some fellow Argentinians for their star player.
The new MLS season is not far away and the Herons will be looking to make some new additions to their thinning squad. Inter Miami lost Deigo Gomez to Brighton and Leo Campana to the New England Revolution.