Lionel Messi transformed Inter Miami from a bottom-table team to one of the greatest in the history of Major League Soccer. Under his helm, the Herons lifted the 2023 inaugural Leagues Cup trophy, 2024 Supporters’ Shield and set the new league record for most points recorded in a single MLS season with 74.
He revolutionized football in Fort Lauderdale in just over a year and a half as Inter Miami captain, and his teammates note Messi’s contagious desire for greatness and ability to inspire constant improvement through example.
Though Messi will rarely be the one to lead loud halftime speeches or guide the team huddle on the field before the initial whistle, his subtle approach to leadership has made an immense impact among the younger generation at Inter Miami. On and off the field, from the final third or sidelines, the Argentine forward finds a way to elevate Inter Miami.
Goalkeeper Drake Callender revealed that this “Messi Effect” actually began on June 7, 2023, when the Argentina star first announced his intention to join the club in a televised interview with Mundo Deportivo. No one expected or prepared for the news, but the Miami players reacted before any paperwork had even been drafted.
“We were in Alabama, getting ready for our Open Cup game against Birmingham, and heard the announcement that he would officially join us,” Callender said. “We were in our pregame meal, and after that moment, I said, ‘Alright guys, we have to go and win because Messi can’t join a team that’s not competing. We want to be in good shape for when he joins.’ That was a big transitional moment for us, organizationally, culturally, locker room-wise. Everything changed.”
Inter Miami went on to beat Birmingham Legion FC 1-0 that afternoon to advance to the next round of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup, eventually reaching the final. Once he arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Messi’s influence over his teammates naturally evolved. Behind closed doors at the Florida Blue training center, the Argentine striker intensified training sessions and raised the bar for all around him to perform at a higher level.
Messi turned a simple rondo at the start of practice into a vigorous exercise that left teammates with heightened senses and improved reflexes. A once routine introduction to everyday training used to warm up and loosen muscles evolved into a competition of the fittest under the new captain’s watch. For Callender, training alongside Messi means facing the daunting challenge of blocking direct shots from the forward every week for the majority of the year.
“I want to also mention Yannick Bright, who, for me, was the best player of the night,” Martino said after Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire on July 20. “Yannick is a player who stole as many as 12 balls, I don’t know the exact number, but that is something you don’t see very often in this league. And he rarely commits fouls and typically directs the ball with smart decisions. That is a great attribute for a central midfielder and he understands the game well.”
Inter Miami academy product Noah Allen, who debuted for the senior team on Feb. 26, 2022, served as a lifeline to Martino this season after the backline suffered several injuries throughout the campaign. Martino often called on Allen to serve, after impressing with his stability on the ball.
Against Toronto FC on Oct. 5, Allen mitigated the opponent’s 15 shots while completing 93 passes, the most from any Inter Miami player on the field, with a 94.9% accuracy.
“Noah Allen was the best player on the pitch for us,” Martino said after Miami’s 1-0 victory over Toronto FC with Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets on the field.
Fans may be quick to credit Messi for Inter Miami’s rise to the top this season after the forward tied for second place in the Golden Boot race with 20 goals and contributed 16 assists in just 19 games. But behind his eye-catching statistics stand several supporting players that have been able to sustain momentum while he’s unavailable.
During Copa America, while the forward led Argentina to the trophy, Miami racked up 12 points out of a possible 15. Messi then went on to miss an additional two months after suffering a right ankle sprain during the final. But Inter Miami continued to handle his injury well by managing a 4-0-0 (W-L-D) record in MLS and 2-2-0 record in Leagues Cup.
Key contributors Suarez, Busquets and Jordi Alba continued to support the team, but players in every area of the pitch stepped up to inspire success. David Ruiz, Cremaschi, Diego Gómez and Federico Redondo all contributed on the goal-scoring front to propel Inter Miami to a whopping 68 goals scored this season, while academy players Ian Fray and Allen braved the backline to secure several victories.
Cremaschi and Robert Taylor single-handedly led the 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC on July 3, while Gomez and Redondo each scored on July 17 to clinch the triumph over Toronto FC.
Taylor has consistently served for Inter Miami on the left-wing in 2024, recording five goals and four assists in 27 games. He contributed to several matches in the absence of Messi, providing Leonardo Campana and Suarez with support before completing his own attempts. Still, the player continues to cite Messi as the source of motivation for all at the club.
“We see him every day, we see him working hard to get back,” Inter Miami forward Taylor said, about those times when Messi was unable to play. “Even without saying anything to him we saw him desperate to come. So when he’s so motivated to get back into this team, it motivates us to make sure we are in the best position for when he returns.”
Despite his absence on the pitch, Messi continued to enact his duties as Inter Miami captain and make his presence known to support the team. He continued to provide advice when needed, chatting with teammates during gym sessions or before a match at Chase Stadium and providing useful tips to apply to the opponent at hand.
Since joining Inter Miami on July 12, 2023, Messi has broken several MLS records, earned the club a trophy and elevated the Herons to become an international sensation. But his legacy at the team will live beyond the numbers and statistics, as his teammates go on to have successful careers propelled, in part, by Messi’s teachings in Fort Lauderdale.
